
BE 



DAYS AND NIGHTS WITH JESUS; 

OR, 

WORDS FOR THE FAITHFUL, 



GATHERED AND COMPOSED 



REV. CHAS. FREDERICK HOFFMAN, D.D., 

RECTOR OF ALL ANGELS CHURCH, NEW YORK CITY. 



NT, CHRISTMAS AND EPIPHANY -TIDE. 




NEW YORK : 
JAMES POTT, No. 12 ASTOR PEACE. 
1884. 




PRESS CF J. J. LITTLE k CO , 
N09. '0 TO 20 ASTOR PLACE, NEW YORK. 



PREFACE. 

To give unity, defmiteness and point to the teach- 
ing of the Church, is one of the great needs of our 
day. The author and editor of this book hopes 
that he has, by the blessing of God, done some- 
thing towards this need. He has here endeavored 
to reduce the teachings of the Church's days, as 
given in the Collects, Epistles, and Gospels to 
Topical Synopses. These, except in the School 
Edition of this work, he has tried to embellish with 
an encyclopaedia of the saintly testimonies of worthy 
witnesses and other sacred references to the many- 
sided truth as it exists in the perfect complex unity 
of Jesus. 

Those who have little time for private prayer and 
reading of the Scriptures morning and evening, and 
who truly desire to feed on the revealed will of God 
to the promotion of their own growth in grace, may 
find a great help in impressing on their minds morn- 
ing by morning, and evening by evening, the Words 
for the days and nights as hereinafter designated. 

Those who by the grace of God are given a 



4 



larger talent of time, it is hoped will find great bene- 
fit in reading at suitable times all that is here fur- 
nished for these " Church Days with Jesus." 

It is moreover hoped that this book will be found 
useful in furnishing texts for meditation, with or 
without brief comments, in our churches, at the Ser- 
vices. If nothing more, the " Words " might be in- 
corporated with the notices as occasion suggests. 

Preachers may find herein a ready help for their 
work. 

The arrangement here provided may also prove 
useful for Bible Classes, and in furnishing selections 
for daily Bible Readings for busy families. 

Weekly Communicants may find the study of the 
Texts, as here arranged for the several weeks, in ex- 
amining their daily lives, a great help in dressing their 
souls for the blessed Feast provided at the altar of 
Jesus. 

From the pleasure the author and editor has ex- 
perienced in requiring the learning of Texts of Holy 
Scripture by scholars in his Parish School, in connec- 
tion with short catechisings thereon, in addition to 
lessons in the Catechism, he ventures to think that 
the like use of the Texts here chosen may commend 
itself to others. If any of the "Words" are too 
long they can easily be shortened. 

In preparing this work for the press I have aimed 
to develope the unity of the Church's teachings, and 



in a measure to avoid repetition, while working in as 
much as convienent of the Holy Writings. This may 
account somewhat for some of the selections not being 
more striking and appropriate. Please then, dear 
reader, to remember that it is not only by successive, 
but by differently directed blows that the iron is 
properly welded and formed. 

The author and editor will gladly receive sugges- 
tions for the improvement of this work. He will 
also be thankful to have his attention drawn to any 
inaccuracies, At the same time it is to be remem- 
bered that more or less freedom is to be allowed in 
the statements and opinions of others. 

For all obligations, not forgetting the Rev. Benj. 
Webb, M.A., who has assisted me in preparing the 
sheets for the press, I here express my thanks. 

C; F. H. 



ABBREVIATIONS. 

A. A. B. Arrows and Anecdotes. By D. L. Moody. 

A, B. The Annotated Bible. By Rev. J. H. Blunt, 
M.A., F.S.A. 

A. C. C. Bishop Coxe's Thoughts on the Services. 

A. G. Archer Gilford's Unison of the Liturgy. 

A. G. M. Rev. A. G. Mortimer's Helps to Medita- 
tion. 

A. H. G. Alex. H. Grant's Church Seasons. 

A. N. Neander's Life of Christ. (McClintock & 

Blumenthal.) 
A. O. Bishop Oxenden on the Gospels. 
A. P. Rev. A. Potts' Village Lectures. 

A. W. Rev. Alex. Watson's Catechism on the Com- 

mon Prayer. 

B. Boys : Their Work and Influence. 

Bp. A. S. Bishop Sparrow's Rationale on the Com- 
mon Prayer. 

Bp. B. Bishop Brownell's Commentary on the 

Prayer Book. 
B. G. M. Edgar's Boyhood of Great Men. 
Bp. J. T. Bishop Jeremy Taylor. 
B. K, Bishop Ken's Christian Year. 
B. S. W. C. Boy-life; Sundays in Wellington College. 

By E. W. Benson. 
B. T. The Biblical Treasury. 

6 



7 



C. A. The Church Almanac. 

C. A. L. C. A. Lapside's Commentary. Translated 

by the Rev. T. W. Mossman, B. A. 
C C. Dr. J. James on the Collects. 
C. C. Y. The Child's Christian Year. 
C. E. G. Thring's Church of England Hymn Book, 
C. G. The Churchman's Guide to Faith aad Piety, 
C. I. S. Christ in Song. Selections by Philip 
Schaff, D.D. 

C. K. Chas. Knight's Pictorial Book of Common 
Prayer. 

C. S. Companion to the Sunday Services. 
C. T. The Christian Taught by the Church Ser~ 
vices. Edited by Rev, Dr. Hook. 

C. W. Rev. Charles Wesley, 

D. C. P. Defence of Church Principles. 

D. G. S. L. Daily Gleanings of the Saintly Life, 
Compiled by C. M. S. 

D. and Y. For Days and Years. Selections by H* 

L. Sidney Lear, 

E. B. Aventurine. Translated by Elinor Baker. 
E. C. Lyra Catholica. Translated by Ed. Cas- 

wall, M.A. 

E. D. Evan Daniel on the Prayer Book. 
E. H. The author of " Ecce Agnus Dei" and "Dies 
Panis," &c, 

E. K. Kalendar of the English Church. 1866, 
E. L. E. B. Gold Dust. (Headings and Applica- 
tions mostly bv C. F, H.) 
E. M. G. The Collects of the Day, &c. By Rev 

Dr. E. M. Goulburn, 
Eng. P. B. Prayer Book of the Church of England, 
E. O. The Children's Saviour. By Ed. Osborne. 
E ? P, Rev. Chas. Overton's Expository Preacher, 



8 



F. R. H. Frances Ridley Havergal. 

F. T. D. J. The Sufferings of Jesus, &c. By Fra 

Thome De Jesu, &c. Translated from the 

Portuguese. 

F. W. U. The Wise Men. Who they were. By F. 

W. Upham, LL.D. 

G. Dr. Geikie's Life of Christ. 

G. E. J. Rev. G. E. Jelf's Consolations of the Chris- 
tian Seasons, 

G. F. W, Rev. G. F. Worthington's Sacred Poems. 

G. H. George Herbert. 

G. P. M. George P. Morris. 

G. T. R. Lyra Americana. Edited by Rev. G. T. 

Rider, M.A. 
G. W. George Wittier. 

G. W. D. Songs by the Way. By Bishop G. W. 

Doane. Edited by Bishop W. C. Doane. 
G. W. J. Girls ; Their Work and Influence. 

G. Z. G. Rev. Dr. George Z. Gray. 

H. C. A, Rev. H. C. Adams' Sunday Evenings at 

Home. 

H. D. E. The Christian Doctrine of Marriage. 
Hugh Davy Evans, LL.D, 

H. E. C. Hymns of the Eastern Church. Trans- 
lated by Rev. Dr. J. X. Neale. 

H. H. Rev. H. P. Housman's Seven Sermon 
Stories. 

H. N. Rev, N. Newland's Sermons on the Seasons 

of the Church. 
H. T. Rev. J. H. Blunt's Household Theology. 
L W. Rev. L William's Sermons on the Epistles 

and Gospels and on the Study of the Holy 

Gospels. 

J. B. Wrought Gold. Compiled from the Works of 



9 



Dean Boys, D.D. By Rev. K. J, Stewart, 
M.A. 

J. D. John Donne. 9 

J. E. T. Meditations from the Fathers. By Rev. 

Dr. J. E. Tyler. 
J. H. John Brady's Clavis Calendaria. 
J. H. B. Blunt's Annotated Book of Common 

Prayer. 

J. J. John Jones' Liturgical Class Book. 
J. M. Jesus of Nazareth, &c. By Rev. Dr. W. 
Patton. 

J. M. M. Rev. A. G. Jackson's Missioner's Manual. 
J. S. B. M. Hymns of Love, &c. By Rev. J. S. B. 

Monsell, LL.D. 
J. T. Jewel's Treatises. 

K. Keble's Christian Year. Bishop G. W. Doane's 
Edition. 

K. P. Blunt's Key to the Prayer Book. 

L. A. Lyra x\nglicana. Selected and Arranged by 

Rev. G. T. Rider, M.A. 
L'A. D. L'Abbe Duquesne's Meditations on the 

Gospels. Translated and Adapted. 
L. C. Rev. Dr. C. C. Adams' Life of Christ. 
L. E. Lyra Eucharistica. Edited by the Rev. O. 

Shipley, M.A. 
L. G. Lyra Germanica. Translated by Catharine 

Winkworth. 
L. L. Lyra Liturgica. 

L.'M. Unknown to the Author and Editor of this 
Work. 

L. O. L. S. J. Andrews' Life of our Lord. 
L. S. Lvra Sacra. Compiled, &c. By Rev. B. Sa- 
ville, M.A. 

L. W. G. Life and Works of Christ. By Dr. C. 
Geikie. 



10 



M. A. Meditations for Every Day. Edited by Rev 
Dr. Hook. 

M. F. T. Tapper's Proverbial Philosophy. 

M. H. Rev. Dr. Hole's Discourses on the Liturgy. 

M. P. Mediaeval Preaching. Dr. Neale. 

M. P e Newland's Postils. 

O, O. Unknown to the Author and Editor of this 
Work. 

O. S. LyraMystica. Edited by Rev.O.Shipley,M.A. 

P. C. Plain Commentary. 

P. P. B. The Priest's Prayer Book. 

P. P. F. Plain Preaching for the Year. Edited by 

Rev. E. Fowle. 3rd Ser. 
R. B. Roman Breviary. 

R. D. D. Dickinson's Dictionaries of Prose and 
Poetical Illustrations. 

R. C. T. Rev. R. C. Trench's Star of the Wise Men. 

R. E. H. Rev. E. Hutchinson's Christian Keepsake. 

R. Cx. C. Rev. G. E. Jelf's Rule of God's Com- 
mandments. 

R. H. Bishop Heber's Poetical Works. 

R. M. Roman Missal. 

R. M. B. Rev. R. M. Benson's Spiritual Readings. 
R. T. Rev. R. Tudor's- Decalogue. 
S. The Sanctuary. By R. Montgomery. 
S. A. Rev. G. Huntington's Sermon Aids. 
S. A. N. Dr. Neale's Moral Concordance of S. 
Antony. 

S. B. Rev. R. S. Barrett's Churchman's Scrap Book. 
S. B. G. Rev. S. Baring Gould, M.A. 
S. C. E. H. E. House's Scripture Cabinet. 
S. E. G. Sermons on the Epistles and Gospels. 
S. P. C. K. 

S. J. A. S. J. Andrews' Life of our Lord. 



11 



S. J. S. Rev. S. J. Stone's Sonnets on the Sacred 
Year. 

S. M. Wylde's Simple Meditations. 
S. O. The Hearth-Stone. By Rev. Dr. Sam'l Os- 
good. 

S. P. Rev. S. Pagan's Principles of Religion. 

S. R. The Shadow of the Rock, &c. 

S. S. Rev. Dr. Samuel Seabury. 

S. S. C. Y. Sunday Stories for the Christian Year. 

S. T. Sunday Teaching. 

S. P. G. Southwell's Poetical Works. 

S. T. T. S. Crona Temple's Seed to the Sower. 

T. A. Homilies by Thomas Aquinas. Translated by 

J. M. Ashley, B.C L. 
T. C. P. Tracts on Church Principles. 
T. C. S. Tracts for the Christian Seasons. 
T. D. The Departed, &c. By Mrs. Fred. Geo. Lee. 
T. H. The Hymnary. 
T. P. U. Tracts for Parochial Use. 
T. T. C. Footsteps of the Holy Child. Edited by 

Rev. T. T. Carter, M.A. 
V. B. Vespers Book. 

V. F. H. S. Verses for Holy Seasons. By C. F. H. 

Edited by Dr. Hook. 
V. P. Rev. S. Baring Gould's Village Pulpit. 
W. Wordsworth's Commentary. 
W. B. Rev. W. Benham on the Epistles of the 

Christian Year. 
W. C. Rev. Dr. Wm. Croswell. 
W. C. D. Bishop W. C. Doane's Mosaics, &c. 
W. D. Rev. Wm. Denton's Commentary. 
W. D. M. The Whole Duty of Man. 
W. D. W. Rev. Dr. W. D. Wilson. 
W. E. H. Rev. W. E. Heygate's Poems. 



12 



W. F. H. Rev. Dr. Hook's Sermons on the 

Miracles. 

W. J, E. B. Rev. Win J. E. Bennett's Letters to my 
Children. 

W. J. T. Bishop Trowers' Expositions of the 
Epistles and Gospels. 

W. S. E. G. Isaac Williams' Sermons on the Epis- 
tles and Gospels. 

W. and M. Wives and Mothers. By R. Marry at. 

Y. B. Rev. J. A. Collier's Young Men of the Bible. 



CONTENTS. 

VOLUME ONE. 

PAGES. 

The First Sunday in Advent, &c., or Entrance 

Week v , 16. 31 

The Second Sunday in Advent, &c., or Bible 

Week 16, 5T 

The Third Sunday in Advent, &c., or Ministers' 

Week 18, 79 

The Fourth Sunday in Advent, &c, or Ap- 

froachment Week iS, 113 

Christimas, &c, or Nativity Week 20, 147 

The Sunday after Christmas, &c, or Fulfill- 
ment Week. . 20, 193 

The Second Sunday after Christmas, &c, or 

Circumcision Week. 22, 221 

The Epiphany, &c., or Manifestation Week.. . . 22, 263 

The First Sunday after the Epiphany, &c, or 

Young People's Week. 24, 317 

The Second Sunday after the Epiphany, &c, or 

Marriageable and Married People's Week 24, 373 

The Third Sunday after the Epiphany, &c, or 

Infirmity Week. 26, 459 

13 



14 

PAGES. 

The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, &c., or 

Power Week . 26, 523 

The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany, &c, or 

Preservation Week , 28, 615 

The Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany &c, or 

Purification Week 28, 677 

ADDENDA. 

Entrance Week. 761 

Bible Week 775 

Ministers' Week - 788 



HOLY BIBLE. 

Blessed Lord, Who hast caused all holy Scrip- 
tures to be written for our learning ; Grant that we 
may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and 
inwardly digest them, that by patience, and comfort 
of Thy holy Word, we may embrace, and ever hold 
fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which Thoi: 
hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 



15 



16 



THE FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 

THE COLLECT.— Almighty God, give us grace 
that we may cast away the works of darkness, and 
put upon us the armour of light, now in the time of 
this mortal life, in which Thy Son Jesus Christ came 
to visit us in great humility ; that in the last day, 
when He shall come again in His glorious Majesty 
to judge both the quick and dead, we may rise to 
the life immortal, through Him Who liveth and 
reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, now and 
ever. Amen. 

THE EPISTLE —Romans xiii. 8 to xiv. 

THE GOSPEL— S. Matthew xxi. i, When 
&c, to 14. 

* 

THE SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 

THE COLLECT —Blessed Lord, Who hast 
caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learn- 
ing ; Grant that we may in such wise hear them, 
read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by 
patience, and comfort of Thy Holy Word, we may 
embrace, and ever hold fast the blessed hope of ever- 
lasting life, which Thou hast given us in our Saviour 
Jesus Christ. Amen. 

THE EPISTLE.— Romans xv. 4, Whatsoever 
&c, to 14. 

THE GOSPEL.— S. Luke xxi. 25 to 34. 



17 



THE FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT, &c, 
OR ENTRANCE WEEK* 

Subject of the Collect. Preparation. Subject of the Epistle. 
The Putting on of the Lord Jesus Christ. Subject of the Gospel, 
The Victorious Entrance of Christ. 



Word for the D.vr.f 

S. Rom. xiii. 12, 13, 14. 
M. Isaiah i. 16 to 21. 
T. Matthew xviii. 7, 3. 9. 
W. I Corinthians x. 31, 32, 33. 
T. II Peter i. 10, II, 12. Give, 
&c. 

F. Acts ill. iS to 22. Those, 
&c. 

S. Isaiah xxxviii. 1. Thus, &c. 



Word for the Night.! 

S. Hebrews vi. 10, ri, 12. 

God is, &c. 
M. Matthew v. 20. I say, &c< 
T. Luke xv. 11 to 21. 
W. Revelation iii. 11, 12, 13. 
T. I Thessalonians v. 8, 9, 10, 

11. Let us, &c. 
F. I Corinthians vii. 20 to 24. 
S. Romans xi.33& fol. vs. 



THE SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT, Ac, 
OR BIBLE WEEK. 

Subject of the Collect. The Holy Scriptures. Subject of the 
Epistle. The Patience and Comfort of the Scriptures. Subject 
of the Gospel. The Patience and Comfort of the Scriptures. 

Word for the Day. Word for the Xight. 

S, James i. 22 to 26. Be, &c 3 . H Timothy iii. 16, 17. 

M. John v, 39, 40. M. John xii. 48, 49, 50. 

T. Psalm cxix. 1 to 9. T. II Peter i. 19, 20, 21. 

W. Psalm i. W. I Corinthians x. 11. All 
T. Romans xv. 4. Whatso- these, 6cc. 

ever, &c. T. Proverbs i. 33. Whoso, &c 

F. Luke xxi. 33. F. I Corinthians i. 20 to 25. 

S. Deuteronomy v.iii. 3. Man S. Psalm xix. 

doth, &c. 



* The names given the weeks have been chosen by the author from the 
teaching, &c, of their several Sundays. 

t The Words for the Days and Nights have been largely chosen ta 
illustrate the teachings of the several 'Weeks and Day*. 



18 



THE THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 

THE COLLECT. — O Lord Jesus Christ. Who 
at Thy first coming didst send Thy messenger to 
prepare Thy way before Thee ; Grant that the mini- 
sters and stewards of Thy mysteries may likewise so 
prepare and make ready Thy way, by turning the 
hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, 
that at Thy second coming to judge the world we 
may be found an acceptable people in Thy sight, 
who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy 
Spirit, ever one God. world without end. Amen. 

THE EPISTLE.— I Corinthians iv. i to 6. 

THE GOSPEL. — S. Matthew xi. 2 to 11. 

THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT. 

THE COLLECT.— O Lord, raise up, we pray 
Thee, Thy power, and come among us, and with 
great might succour us : that whereas, through our 
sins and wickedness, we are sore let and hindered 
in running the race that is set before us, Thy bounti- 
ful grace and mercy may speedily help and deliver 
us : through the satisfaction of Thy Son our Lord, 
to Whom, with Thee and the Holy Ghost, be honour 
and glory, world without end. Amen. 

THE EPISTLE— Philippians iv. 4 to S. 
THE GOSPEL. — S. John i. 19. This &c, to 29. 



19 



THE THIRD SUNDAY !N ADVENT, &c, 
OR MINISTERS' WEEK. 

Subject of the Collect. Faithful Ministers. Subject of the 
Epistle. Reverence for God's Fellow-Workmen. Subject of 
the Gospel. Christ's Approval of the Appointed Ministry which 
Seek Him and His. (Mriber Week. J 

Word for the Day. Word for the Xight. 

I 

S, Mark i. 3. Prepare, &c. 
M. Hebrews xiii. 17. 
T. II Corinthians v. S to 12. 
W. II Corinthians iv. 3, 4, 5. 

If, &e. 
T. Mark iv. 14 to 21. 
F. Hebrews v. I to 6. 
S. Colossians 1. 21, 22, 23. 
You that, &c. 



S. I Corinthians iv. I. 
M. Hebrews xiii. 7, S. 
T. Luke x. 1, 2. 
\V. (Em. Day) John xvii. iS. 
T. Malachi ii. 6, 7. 
F. (Em. Day) II Corinthians 

v. 18 & 19 vs. All, eve. 
S. (Em. Day) Acts xiii. I, 2, 

3. 



THE FOURTH SUNDAY IM ADVENT, &c, 
OR APPROACHMENT WEEK,* 

Subject of the Collect. The Xeed of Jesus Subject of the 
Epistle. The Nearness of the Lord. Subject of the Gospel. 
The Testimony of John the Forerunner of Christ to the Unknown 
Jesus at Hand. 

Word for the Day. i Word for the Xight. 

S« Matthew hi. I, 2. 1 S. II Thessalonians ii. I to 5. 

M. Mark xiii. 30 & fol. vs. j M. II Peter iii. 9, 10, 11, 12. 
T. Amos iv. 12. Prepare to , T. Isaiah xxx. 15 to 19. Thus, 



W, 
T. 



meet thy God. 
James v. 9. 



W, 



&c. 
Isaiah Iv. 



Malachi iv. 1, 2, Behold, &c. T. Melachi iii. I, 2, 3. 



F. Matthew xxiv. 42, 43, 44, 

Ye know not, ccc. 
S. Isaiah vii. 14. Behold, 6cc. 



F. John v. 22 to 30. 
Father, &c. 
Matthew xxv. 6. 



The 



* Whenever Christmas occurs see Nativity YVeelc. 



20 



THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD, OR THE 
BIRTH-DAY OF CHRIST, COMMONLY 
CALLED CHRISTMAS DAY. 

THE COLLECT.— Almighty God, Who hast 
given us Thy Only-Begotten Son to take our nature 
upon Him, and as at this time to be born of a pure 
virgin; Grant that we being regenerate, and made 
Thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be 
renewed by Thy Holy Spirit ; through the same our 
Lord Jesus Christ, Who liveth and reigneth with 
Thee and the same Spirit, ever one God, world with- 
out end. Amen. 

THE EPISTLE.— Hebrews i. i to 13. 
THE GOSPEL.— S. John i. to 15. 

THE SUNDAY AFTER THE NATIVITY. 
(IN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS.) 

THE COLLECT.— Almighty God, Who hast 
given us Thy Only-Begotten Son to take our nature 
upon Him, and as at this time to be born of a pure 
virgin ; Grant that we being regenerate, and made 
Thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be 
renewed by Thy Holy Spirit ; through the same our 
Lord Jesus Christ, Who liveth and reigneth with 
Thee and the same Spirit, ever one God, world with- 
out end. Amen. 

THE EPISTLE — Galatians iv. 1 to 8. 

THE GOSPEL.— S. Matihewi. 18, The &c, to ii. 



•21 



CHRISTMAS,* &c, OR NATIVITY WEEK. 

Subject of the Collect. The Renewal of Humanity. Subject 
of the Epistle. The Glorious Revelation of the Son. Subject 
of the Gospel. The Bringing of the Only-Begotten of the 
Father into this Benighted World in " the likeness of men," 

Word for the Day, 

S . Luke ii. 14. 
M. John i. 9, 10. 
T. II Corinthians vi. 2. 

hold, &c. 
W. Hebrews ii. 16, 17, 



T. II Corinthians v. 17. If, &c. F 
F. I Peter v. 5, 6, 7. Ye, Sec. J S. 
S. Acts iv. 10, 11, 12. 



Word for the Night. 

I S. Galatians iv. 1 to 6. 
j M. Colossians ii. 6 to ii, 
Be- T, John i. 15, 16, 17. 

W. Proverbs viii. 33 & fol. vs, 
18. j T. Isaiah Iv. 6, 7. 

John iii. 16, 17. God, &c. 
Isaiah lii. 7. 



SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS,* Ac, 
OR FULFILLMENT WEEK. 

Subject of the Collect. The Fulfillment of the Call of God on 
Human Nature, in Christ. Subject of the Epistle. The Ful- 
fillment of our Heirship in Christ. Subject of the Gospel. The 
Fulfillment of Prophecy in Jesus. 



W t ord for the Day. 

S. I John iv. 14, 15. We, &c. 

M. Hebrews i. 5 to 10. Unto,&c 
T. Ephesians i. 3, 4, 5. 
W. I John iii. 1, 2, 3. 
T. Genesis iii. 14, 15. 
F. John i. 29. John, &c. 
S. Luke i. 26 to 34. In, &c. 



Word for the Night. 

S. John i. 1 & 14. 
M. Philippians ii. 4 to 8. 
T. Luke ii. 1 to 8. 
W. Micah v. 2. Thou, &c. 
T. Luke ii. 15 to 21. 
F. Romans xv. 1. 2, 3. 
S. II Corinthians vi. 15 & fol. 
vs. What, &c. 



t Feast of Tabernacles. Coxe on the Services, p. 26. 
* Whenever the Circumcision or Feast of the name of Jesus occurs see 
Circumcision Week, and when Epiphany occurs see Manifestation Week. 



22 



THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER THE 
NATIVITY. 

THE COLLECT.— Almighty God, Who madest 
Thy blessed Son to be circumcised, and obedient to 
the law for man ; Grant us the true Circumcision of 
the Spirit ; that, our hearts, and all our members, 
being mortified from all worldly and carnal lusts, 
we may in all things obey Thy blessed will ; through 
the same Thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

THE EPISTLE— Romans iv. 8 to 15. 

THE GOSPEL.— S. Luke ii. 15 to 22. 

THE EPIPHANY,* OR THE MANIFESTATION 
OF CHRIST TO THE GENTILES. 

THE COLLECT.— O God, Who by the leading 
of a star didst manifest Thy Only-Begotten Son to 
the Gentiles; Mercifully grant that we, who know 
Thee now by faith, may after this life have the fruition 
of Thy glorious Godhead ; through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 

THE EPISTLE — Ephesians iii. 1 to 13. 

THE GOSPEL— S. Matthew ii. 1, When &c, 
to 13. 

* 11 In Syriac dancho^ a word expressive of the sun-rising." —Etheridge's 
Syrian Churches. Armenian name — Nativity, Epiphany, Baptism." — . 
Fortescue's Armenian Church. " Day of the Holy Lights, The Theo- 
phany." — Watson. 



23 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, &c, 
OR CIROUMCISION WEEK. 

Subject of the Collect. The Circumcision of the Spirit. Sub- 
ject of the Epistle. The Circumcision of Sin through Faith. 
Subject of the Gospel. The Infancy of Jesus and His Circum- 
cision Therein. 



Word for the Day. 

S. Philippians iii. 2, 3, 
M. Colossians ii. 11, 12. 
T. Colossians ii. 13, 14, 15. 

You, &c. 
W. Matthew iii. 13, 14, 15. 
T. Matthew v. 17, 18, 19. 
F. I John iv. 9, 10, 11. 
S. Galatians vi. 14, 15, 16. 

God forbid, &c. 



Word for the Night. 

S. Romans ii. 23 & fol. vs. 
M. Genesis xvii. 10 to 15. 
T. Jeremiah iv. 1 to 5. 
W. I Corinthians vii. 18, 19. 
T. Ephesians ii. 11, 12, 13. 

Remember, &c. 
F. John i. 11, 12, 13. 
S. Colossians iii. 4 to 12. 



EPIPHANY, Ac, 
OR MANIFESTATION WEEK. 

Subject of the Collect. The Manifestation of God by Faith 
through His Only-Begotten Son. Subject of the Epistle. The 
Manifestation of the Mystery that the Gentiles should be 
Fellow-heirs in Christ. Subject of the Gospel, The Mani- 
festation of Christ to the Gentiles. 



Word for the Day. 

S, Revelation xxii. 16, 17. 
M. John i. 18. 

T. I Timothy iii. 16. With- 
out, &c. 
W. Matthew xi. 27. 
T. John x. 9. 
F. Galatians iii. 13, 14. 
S. Joelii. 28 & fol. vs. I,&c. 



Word for the Night. 

S. Acts 11. 32 to 37. 
M. John xiv. 6 to 12. I am, &c. 
T. John xii. 44, 45, 46. 
W. Luke ii. 29 to 33. 
T. Isaiah lx. 19 & fol. vs. 
F. Ephesians ii. 13 to 18. Now, 
&c. 

S. Acts x. 44 & fol. vs. 



24 



THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE 
EPIPHANY, 

THE COLLECT — O Lord, we beseech Thee 
mercifully to receive the prayers of Thy people who 
call upon Thee ; and grant that they may both per- 
ceive and know what things they ought to do, and 
also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfil 
the same ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

THE EPISTLE —Romans xii. i to 6. 

THE GOSPEL — S. Luke ii. 41 to iii. 

THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER THE 
EPIPHANY. 

THE COLLECT— Almighty and everlasting 
God, Who dost govern all things in heaven and earth ; 
Mercifully hear the supplications of thy people, and 
grant us Thy peace all the days of our life ; through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

THE EPISTLE.— Romans xii. 6 to 16 to "Be 
not/' &c. 



THE GOSPEL.— S. John ii. 1 to 12. 



2? 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY,&c. 
OR YOUNG PEOPLE'S WEEK. 

Subject of the Collect. Acceptance, Illumination and 
Strength. Stibject of the Epistle. The Presentation of our 
Bodies to God and Manifestation of our Minds. Subject of the 
Gospel. Christ's Submission and Manifestation to Earthly 
Parents, and in His Heavenly Father's Business in His stand 
for God at the proper age and place. 



Word for the Day. 

S. Proverbs i. 7, 8, 9. 
M. Matthew xii. 49, 50. He, 
&c. 

T. Proverbs i. 5. 
W. Ephesians vi. 1, 2, 3. 
T. Exodus xxiii. 20 to 25. 
F. Luke xxii. 42, 43. Father, 
&c. 

S. Galatians ii. 20, 21. 



Word for the Night. 



s 

M. 
T. 

W. 

T. 

F. 

S. 



Proverbs xxii. 6. 
Mark xii. 28 to 32. 
Titus ii. 11, 12, 13, 14. 
The grace, &c. 
Hebrews v, 8, 9, 10. 
Though He were, &c. 
Hebiews x. 8, 9, 10. Sacri- 
fice, &c. 

Galatians i. 3, 4, 5. 
Romans vi. 3, 4. 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, Ac, 
OR MARRIED PEOPLE'S WEEK. 

Subject of the Collect. Peace in trie Matrimonial Life of God 
and His People. Subject of the Epistle. Fulfilling Love. 
Subject of the Gospel. The Manifestation of Jesus in Family 
Life. 



Word for the Day. 

S. Genesis ii. 18. 

M. II Corinthians vi. 14. 

T. Hos. ii. 19, 20. I will, &c. 

W. Romans xv. 5, 6, 7. 

T. Deuteronomy vii. 1 to 5. 

F. Psalm li. 14. 

S. Colossians iii. 18 & fol. vs. 



Word for the Night. 

S. Proverbs xxxi. 10. 11, 12. 

M. Genesis i. 27, 28. 

T. Matthew xix. 3 to 10. 

W. Malachi ii. 15, 16. 

T. Ephesians v. 22, to 28. 

F. Psalm cxxviii. 

S. Ephesians v. 28 & fol. vs. 



26 

THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER THE 
EPIPHANY. 

THE COLLECT— Almighty and everlasting 
God, mercifully look upon our infirmities, and in all 
our dangers and necessities stretch forth Thy right 
hand to help and defend us ; through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. 

THE EPISTLE —Romans xii. 16. Be not 

&c, to xiii. 

THE GOSPEL — S. Matthew viii. i to 14. 

THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER THE 
EPIPHANY. 

THE COLLECT. — O God, Who knowest us to 
be set in the midst of so many and great dangers, 
that by reason of the frailty of our nature we can- 
not always stand upright ; Grant to us such 
strength and protection, as may support us in all 
dangers, and carry us through all temptations; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

EPISTLE. — Romans xiii. 1 to 8. 

THE GOSPEL —S. Matthew viii. 23 to ix. 



27 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, &c, 

OR INFIRMITY WEEK. 

■Subject of the Collect. Our Infirmities. Subject of the 
Epistle. Our Call to Overcome our Infirmities with Good, 
Subject of the Gospel. The Manifestation of Jesus' Power in 
Those Who Feel the Need of Him and Believe. 



Word for the Day. 

S B Hebrews iv. 14, 15, 16. 

M. Proverbs xvi. 32. 

T. Isaiah xxvi. 4. 

W. Isaiah xl. 28 & fol. vs. 

T. Psalm cxviii. 8, 9. 

F. John xii. 31 to 36. 

S. Jeremiah xvii. 5 to 9. 



Word for the Night. 

3- Romans viii. 24, 25, 26. 

We, &c. 

M. Matthew ix. 2 to 9. 

T. Psalm xxxvii. 37 & fol vs. 

W. James v. 14, 15. 

T. Romans vi. 19 & fol. vs e 

F. Matthew viii. 16, 17. 

S. Luke xiii. 10, 11, 12. 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, &c, 
OR POWER WEEK. 

Subject of the Collect. Dependence on God's Power. Sub- 
ject of the Epistle. The Powers Ordained of God. Subject of 
the Gospel. The Manifestation of Christ's Power over that 
which is Natural and that which is Spiritual. 

Word for the Night. 

S. Proverbs viii. 12 to 17. 

M. I Peter ii. 13 to 17. 

T. Romans xii. 4 to 9. As, &c, 

W. Romans xii. 21. 

T. Titus iii. 1, 2. 

F. I John ii. I. 2. 

S. Ecclesiastes xii. 13, 14. 



Word for the Day. 



5. John ii. 4, 5. Jesus said 
unto her, &c. 

I Thessalonians v. 12, 13. 
We, &c. 

Acts v. 29. We ought, &c. 
Matthew iv. 8 to 12. The, 
&c. 

Daniel iv. 32. The Most 
High, &c. 
John xix. 32 to 37. 
Matthew xxii. 15 to 22. 



M. 

T. 

W. 



2^ 



THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER THE 
EPIPHANY, 

THE COLLECT.— O Lord, we beseech Thee 
to keep Thy Church and household continually in 
Thy true religion ; that they who do lean only upon 
the hope of Thy heavenly grace may evermore be 
defended by Thy mighty power; through Jesus 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 

THE EPISTLE — Colossians hi. 12 to 18. 

THE GOSPEL.— S. Matthew xiii. 24. The &c, 
to 31. 

# 

THE SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER THE 
EPIPHANY. 

THE COLLECT — O God, Whose blessed Son 
was manifested that He might destroy the works of 
the devil, and make us the sons of God, and heirs of 
eternal life ; Grant us, we beseech Thee, that, hav- 
ing this hope, we may purify ourselves, even as He 
is pure ; that, when He shall appear again with 
power and great glory, we may be made like unto 
Him in His eternal and glorious kingdom ; where 
with Thee, O Father, and Thee, O Holy Ghost, He 
liveth and reigneth, ever one God, world without 
end. Amen. 

THE EPISTLE.— I S. John iii. 1 to 9. 

THE GOSPEL.— S. Matthew xxiv. 23 to 32, 



20 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, &c, 

OR PRESERVATION* WEEK. 

Subject of the Collect. The Preservation of the Church. 
Subject of the Epistle. Doing All Things in Love by the Au- 
thority of Christ. Subject of the Gospel* The Preservation of 
the Faithful ki the Church by Patience and Prudence Amidst 
Evil. 



s. 

M. 
T. 
W. 
T. 
F. 
S. 



Word for the Day. 

I Thessalonians v. 14 to 19. 
Psalm xxxi. 1, 23, 24. 
Hebrews xiii. 9. 
Hebrews x. 35 & fol. vs. 
Isaiah lx. 1 to 8. 
Isaiah lix. 1. 

Psalm lxxxix. 18. The, &c. 



Word for the Night. 

S. Romans xii. 10 to 19. 

M. I Peter ii. 17 to 21. 

T. Romans ii. 4 to 12. Des- 

pisest, &c. 

W. James i. 2, 3, 4. 

T. Isaiah lx. 9 to 17, 

F. Hebrews iii. 12 & fol. vs. 

S. I Corinthians ix. 13, 14. 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, Ac, 
OR PURIFICATION WEEK.t 

Subject of the Collect. Our Purification. Subject of the 
Epistle. Our Purification. Subject of the Gospel. Warning 
to keep ourselves Pure unto the Judgment Day against False 
Christs and Prophets. 

Word for the Night. 



Work for the Day. 

S. Matthew v. 8. 

M. Psalm xxiv. 3, 4, 5. 

T. Acts xv. 7, 8, 9. 

W. Galatians v. 19, 20, 21. 

T. Matthew xxiii. 25, 26. 

F. Hebrew xii. 1 1. 

S. I John iii. 8, 9, 10. 



S. II Corinthians vii. 1. Let, 
&c. 

M. Psalm xv. 

T. I Timothy i. 5 to 12. 

W. Galatians v. 22 &fol. vs. 

T. James iv. 8 to 13. 

F. Proverbs xx. 30. 

S. Matthew xv. 11 to 21. 



*If we ask for the preservation of the Church let us be careful to 
cultivate, as the time teaches, the grace of Patience. 

tin the Graeco-Russian Churah "Week of the Pharisee" Borov 



nitsky. 




30 



THE FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT*, etc., OR 
ENTRANCE WEEK. 

The old rule of finding the first Sunday in Advent 
ran thus : 

Saint Andrew the King 

Three weeks and three days before Christmas 
comes in ; 

Three days after, or three days before 
Advent Sunday knocks at the door, 

E, K. 

HOME COLLECT. 

O God Who has taught us to put on Thy whole 
armour that we may be able to stand against the 
wiles of the devil, and having done all to stand ; 
Give us at this time of the renewal of our conflict 
with the powers of evil, the grace so to prepare and 
enwrap ourselves in the mantle of Jesus Christ 
as to obtain at His coming the victor's palm, 
through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. 

C. F. H. 

COMMENTS. 

Christ the Day-spring from on higli now com- 

* This season is called in the R. Breviary " Advent or Com- 
ing Time." 
% 31 



32 FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT. 

memoratively manifests Himself in the ecclesiastical 
heavens as the bright and morning Star* for our 
benighted world. Soon He will likewise manifest 
Himself as the Sun of Righteousness, and soon He 
will actually become for our weal or woe, as we 
shall here determine, our consuming fire.** 

C. F. H. 

In the Christian Year Advent Sunday answers to 
the day in the Mosaic year, when the 1 Trumpet was 
blown in Zion,' preparatory to the Feast of Taber- 
nacles. As Christmas is the Christian Feast of 
Tabernacles, the analogy is complete. A. C. C. 

* Thou art the Bright and Morning Star, 
Emmanuel. 

Through all the heat and burden of life's day. 

Oh ! may my heart's deep well 
Reflect Thy light divine, 
And in my day's decline 
Rise, Tiiou, as Evening Star, and on me shine. 

E. H. 

** " Set thine house in order : for thou shalt die, and not 
live." — Isaiah xxxviii, i. 

LINES SUGGESTED BY A SERMON BY C. F. H. OX THIS TEXT 0 
" Fair girl, just merging thy childish grace 
Into woman's maturer charms, 
Set thy house in order — begin thy race, 
Before sorrow and death alarms. 

And thou young man, though proud thy name, 

Thou, too, hast a house to keep, 
Already the cobwebs arc on the pane, 

And pleasure has lulled thee to sleep. 



ENTRANCE WEEK. 



33 



As the Jews began their ecclesiastical year from 
the memorable day on which they were delivered 
from Egypt, so the Christian church commences the 
course of its annual services with the dawning of 
the Day of Salvation. C. K. 

It is the peculiar computation of the Western 
church to begin her year and to renew the annual 
course of her service at this time of Advent, therein 
differing from all other accounts of time whatsoever. 
The reason of which is, that she does not number her 
days or measure her seasons so much by the motion 
of the sun as by the course of our Saviour, beginning 
and pursuing her year with Him, Who, being the true 
* Sun of Righteousness,' began now to rise upon 
the world, and as the ( Day-Star' on high, to en- 
lighten them that sat in spiritual darkness. E. K. 

Up, up, and be doing thy daily work, 

Brush the dust of sin away, 
And cleanse the windows that light thy soul, 

Lest thou see not the beams of day. 

'Tis a wonderful house given into thy charge, 

Then see that thou keep it well ; 
It was bought for thee with a price too large 

For mortal tongue to tell. 

Oh, guard it well, for the time draws near, 

Earth-soils grow dark and old, 
The snows of age will soon be here, 

The warmth of love be cold. 



34 



FIE ST WEEK IN ADVENT. 



The Church employs the four weeks that precede 
Christmas in preparing the faithful for that great 
solemnity ; hence the beginning of the ecclesiastical 
year is called Advent, from the Latin word Adven- 
tus, which signifies the coming, viz : of Jesus 
Christ. Our first parents, soon after their fall, 
were comforted with the prediction of this great 
event, when God assured them that the time would 
come when ' the seed of the woman should crush 
the head of the serpent.' This promise was renewed 
to Abraham, confirmed to Isaac, determined to the 
tribe of Jiidah, fixed in the house of David ; and 
lastly the time of its perfect accomplishment was 
exactly calculated bv the prophet Daniel. 

R. M. 



The grate will wear out with the fires of youth, 

Nor retain one burning ember ; 
Ah, what can shield the cold hard heart 

From the blasts of its own December. 

Then rise from the sleep of sin and sloth, 
Let your lamps be trimmed and burning, 

Attend to the words of sacred truth, 
And the lessons of life be learning. 

' Set thy house in order,' (the message is thine, 
At the door of thy soul 'tis spoken, 
In accents of love, with a voice divine,) 
4 Ere the golden bowl be broken ! ' " 

Mrs. Marcus F. Hyde. 



ENTRANCE WE3K. 



35 



Thus Advent has immediate reference to the first 
coming in the flesh of our blessed Lord. It has 
ultimate reference to His second in glory, and so is 
designed to aid us in preparation for the day of final 
judgment. K. 

The Church's Collect speaks of Christ's first 
coming to save and His second coming to judge. If 
we learn to love and obey Him as our Saviour we 
shall be prepared to meet Him as our Judge. 

The Epistle calls us from the sleep of sin to a 
reclothiiig of ourselves, telling us ' the day of the 
Lord is at hand/ 

In the Gospel Christ's solemn entry into Jeru- 
salem may well remind us of the victorious day 
when He shall come again to judge the living and 
the dead, when He shall lead the saints into the 
heavenly kingdom. C, T. 

It is true that we should wake out of sleep : for 
now is our salvation nearer than when we believed ! 
The sum of it is, that we must be more studious in 
performing our duty now than heretofore when we 
did first believe ; for we must go forward and up- 
ward ; from grace to grace, from virtue to virtue, 
till we be of full growth in Christ Jesus ! or as it 
is here, till we have 'put on the Lord Jesus.' A 
violent motion is quick in the beginning, but slow 
in the end ; a stone cast upward, is then most weak 



38 



FIRST WEEE IS ADVENT, 



when it is most high ; but a natural motion is slow 
in the beginning, but quicker in the end : for if a man 
from a tower cast a stone downward, the nearer to 
the centre, the quicker is the motion : and there- 
fore when a man at his first conversion is exceeding 
quick, but afterward waxeth every day slower and 
slower in the ways of the Lord, his motion is not 
natural and kind, but forged and forced : otherwise 
the longer he liveth, and the nearer he comes to the 
mark, the more swiftly would he run, the more ve- 
hemently contend for that everlasting crown, which 
he shall obtain at his race's end. ...... 

'' Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ,' As we must 
put off the old man, so put on the new man, and 
that is done in two ways, either by putting on His 
merits, or by putting on His manners. Our Saviour 
Christ in His life. but in His death especially. wrought 
for us a garment of salvation, and a long white robe 
of righteousness : now the spiritual hand of faith 
must apprehend and h: this wedding apparel on us 
in such sort, that all our unrighteousness may be for- 
given, and all our sins covered. 

Secondly, we must put on the manners and excel- 
lent virtues of Christ, in Y\ "horn was no work of 
darkness, but all armour of light ; so the phrase is 
used. Job xxix. 14. 'I put on justice and it cov- 
ered me, my judgment was a robe and a crown.' 

This apparel is the true Perpetuan, none the 
worse, but the better for wearing. 



ENTRANCE WEEK. 



37 



Christ is Alpha and Omega, the First and Last, 
the Beginning and Ending ; wherefore the Church 
allotting a several Scripture for every several Sun- 
day throughout the whole year, begins and ends with 
the coming of Christ : for the conclusion of the last 
gospel appointed for the last Sunday, is 'of a 
truth, this is the same Prophet that should come 
unto the world ' ; and the first sentence in the first 
gospel for the first Sunday, ' Behold thy king com- 
eth unto thee', wherein the Church imitated the 
method of God's own Spirit : for as the first proph- 
ecy mentioned in the Old Testament, is, ' The seed 
of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head ' ; and 
the first history delivered in the New Testament is, 
' The book of the generation of Jesus Christ'; 
so the first gospel on the first Dominical, according 
to the Church's account is Adventual, a Scripture 
describing Christ 'and his kingdom, fitting the text 
unto the time : teaching us hereby two things espe- 
cially : first, what manner of person the Messiah is 
Who doth come ; secondly, what manner of persons 
we should be now He is come 

Here then observe that Christ is the Church's 
joy, and only the Church's joy ; dumb idols are the 
Gentile's joy ; Mahomet is the Turk's joy; Circum- 
cision is the Jew's joy; Antichrist is the Babylo- 
nian's joy, the devil Calicuti's joy; but only 
Christ is our joy ; we will rejoice and be glad in 



38 FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT. 

thee; *I am my beloved's, and my beloved is 
mine ' ; Christ is so much the Church's, as that he 
is none other's joy ; for as Cyprian and other Cath- 
olic doctors ; He that hath not the Church for his 
mother, hath not God for his Father, hath not 
Christ for his Saviour. Through the door of the 
Church we enter the door of Paradise. No Church, 
no Christ; no Christ, no joy 

It is a received opinion in the world, that religion 
doth dull our wits, and daunt our spirits, as if mirth 
and mischief went always together ; but it is taught 
and felt in Christ's school, that none can be so 
joyful as the faithful, and that there is not so merry 
a land as the holy land, and therefore Zachary doth 
double his exhortation, rejoice greatly, shout for 
joy; and Zephany doth triple it, rejoice O daughter 
Zion, be ye joyful O Israel, be glad with all thine 
heart, O daughter Jerusalem. . e . . . .... 

Now jubilation, as the fathers observe, is so great 
a joy, that it can neither be smothered nor uttered. 

In the words of Christ, 

4 My yoke is easy, my burthen is light/ A new 
yoke is heavy, but when it is worn and dried, it 
waxeth easy ; Christ therefore did first wear and 
bear this yoke, that it might be seasoned and made 
light for us ; He commanded us to fast, and Himself 
did fast ; He commanded us to pray, and Himself 
did often pray ; He commanded us to forgive one 



ENTRANCE WEEK. 



39 



another, and Himself pardoned. Again, when He 
saith, My yoke is sweet, and My burden is light, He 
doth insinuate, that the yokes of others are bitter, 
and their burdens heavy ; that it is a sorry service 
to be Satan's vassal, or the world's hireling, so that 
the good man takes more delight in performing his 
duty, than the wicked can in all his villainies and 
vanities, 4 1 was glad', saith David, 'when they said 
unto me, we will go into the house of the Lord'. 
And Psalm lxxxiv. 2. 1 My soul hath a longing 
desire to enter into the courts of the Lord And 
Psalm lxxxi. ' Sing ye merrily to God ', etc, An 
upright Christian is a musician, a physician, a law- 
yer, a divine to himself ; for what is sweeter music 
than the witness of a good conscience ? What is 
better physic than abstinere et sustinere ; good diet 
and good quiet ? What deeper counsel in law, than 
in having nothing to possess all things ; and what 
sounder divinity, than to know God, and whom He 
hath sent, Jesus Christ ? On the contrary, the 
wicked is wearied in his ways, and discontented in 
his courses. A malicious man is a murderer of him- 
self, the prodigal man a thief to himself, the volup- 
tuous man a witch to himself, the covetous man a 
devil to himself, the drunkard all these to himself, a 
murderer to his body, a thief to his purse, a witch 

to his wit, a devil to his soul 

Christ is the way, we wanderers out of the way ; 



40 



FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT. 



so that if the way had not found us, we never 
should or could have found the way, . . . ♦ 

neither by might, nor by 

power, nor through our works. 

.... If incredulous, Christ is against thee ; but 
if believing, for thee ; for thy, not His good, He gave 
Himself for thee. He was born to be thy compan- 
ion, nourished to be thy meat, He died to pay thy 
debt, He reigns to promote thee. 

What could have been said less, and yet what 
canst thou wish for more? For if Christ be a 
king, then He is able ; if thine, then willing ; if He 
comes He respects not His pain ; if He comes unto 
thee, He regards not His profit, and therefore rejoice 
daughter of Sion, shout for joy daughter of Jeru- 
salem. 

The second part of this (day's) Gospel insinuates 
how we must entertain Christ in our Thoughts, 
Words, Deeds. 

For the first ; we must believe Christ to be that 
Jesus, verse n, that great Prophet, Who is the Mes- 
siah and Saviour of the world. 

For the second ; we must possess and confess 
this faith, having Hosanna in our mouths, and cry- 
ing 1 Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the 
Lord, hosanna in the highest,' verse 9. 

For the third ; we must spread our garments in 
the way, cut down branches from the trees, and 



ENTRANCE WEEK. 



strew them in the passage, verse 8, that is,, forsake 
all and follow Christ, proffering and offering our- 
selves wholly to his service ; or as the Epistle doth 
expound the Gospel, k seeing our salvation is near, the 
night past, and the day come, let us cast away the 
works of darkness, and put on the armour of light.' 

J. B. 

Advent is a season for us to think what we are 
and what we shall be. Let us so improve the 
thought that we voluntarily submit to the will of the 
Lord before we are forced to submit as a necessity 
at the judgment. C. S. 

If the sinner must draw nigh to God with re- 
doubled energy, his utmost of endeavor will come 
to nothing except God draw nigh to him. Disci- 
ples may toil in rowing against a contrary wind and 
tide, but they can make no way until Jesus descends 
from the mountain, and, walking calmly and majes- 
tically over the heaving water, passes into the fish- 
ing boat, Then immediately shall the ship be at 
the land whither they go. (S. John vi. 19, 20, 21.) 

E. M. G. 

JThe season of Advent brings to our minds many 
solemn and awful thoughts. It bids us remember 
the early coming of Him Who was born to suffer, as 
well ar : to save — the warnings of His loving voice— 



4:2 FIKST WEEK IN ADVENT. 

the withdrawal of His Presence from those who re- 
garded it not — the passing away of all the genera- 
tions, one after another — the last hours of those 
whom we have loved and lost — the gaps which a 
single year has made in our ranks — the assurance 
that many, who were in the world twelve months 
ago, cannot now be saved. It awakens in us fresh 
fears about ourselves, about the greatness and holi- 
ness of our Judge, about the exceeding sinfulness of 
our sins, about the way in which evil habits are 
rooted in us, about the suddenness with which death 
may come upon us, about that Day of the Lord 
which may find us unprepared. G. E. J. 

When we enter upon a new era, there always must 
be some apprehension. How great must be our 
fear as we contemplate the entrance into a new 
state of being, of which death is the beginning and 
judgment is the end ! ......... 

When the cloud overshadowed the little company 
on the Mount of Transfiguration, the Apostles 
trembled as they entered into the cloud. Surely we 
ought to tremble as we enter within a darkness so 
impenetrable to our most eager imagination as the 
state of death. 

The Apostles had Jesus along with them as that 
cloud overshadowed them. Blessed are we if Jesus 
is along with us when the cloud of death presses 



ENTRANCE WEZK. 



43 



hard upon us, separating soul and body. If He be 
not with us, there is none that can make the dark- 
ness tolerable 

The year begins with preparation for Christ's 
nativity. This is the consolation of each successive 
year. A Saviour is with us, to help us that it may 
turn to good. A Saviour is with us, to prepare us 
for death ; and if Ave retain His presence to the end, 
He will not fail us. Unless we seek Him at the out- 
set, we cannot look for Him at the last 

The Son of God comes to deliver, but He requires 
us to take up our cross and follow Him if we are to 
be partakers of that deliverance in the end. 

Existence in the world is under a law of despair. 
The sinful child of man has no hope by nature. 
God's promise alone can remove it. 

The hope of salvation is a gift vouchsafed to man 
in Christ. Bnt hope and fear must go together. 
The more we hope, the more we must fear. The 
greatness of that which is hoped for makes the fear 
more intense. 

The coming of God does not remove fear, but it 
removes despair. In proportion to the greatness of 
the promise which He brings must be the fear 'lest 
we come short of them ' f Heb. iv. i.) .... 

Redeemer, come, Thine own from bonds to free ! 
But ere Thou comest, grant the heav'nlv grace 
Of holy fear, that we may see Thy face. 



J 



4* FIRST TVEEK IN ADVENT. 

And in Thy bright love shine eternally! 

The world nor loves nor fears, but dreams of Thee 

As some vast goodness vaguely spread through space. 

In the void love it formulates, we trace 

Void echoes of man's selfish misery. 

But Lord, to longing hearts in love draw near ! 

Fear cleanses, taught by love which Thou dost give ! 

For all to self must die, self-doom'd in fear, 

Who in Thy sight to holy love would live. 

Lord, grant us fear, the earth-born child of love, 

Parent of loving fearlessness above. R. M. B. 

The door to the Church's year is low. God is all. 
We are nothing. C. F. H. 

PREPARATION NECESSARY. 
I have read of a gentleman who died very sud- 
denly, and his jester ran to the other servants and 
having told them that their master was dead, he 
with much gravity said, 1 and where is he gone ' ? 
The servants replied, ' why to heaven, to be sure ' ! 
6 No ', said the jester, ' he is not gone to heaven, I 
am certain ! ' The servants with much warmth 
asked him how he knew ? • The jester then replied, 
' Because heaven is a great way off, and I never 
knew my master to take a long journey in his life, 
but he always talked of it some time beforehand, 
and also made preparations for it; but I never 
heard him talk about heaven, nor ever saw him 



ENTEANCE WEEK. 



4H 



making preparation for death, and therefore I am 
sure he has not gone to heaven.' Salter. R.D.D. 

Readings. Gen. t. i Sam i. Prov. i. 2C-23, Isa. 

1. ft. iv. x. 33 to xi. 1 1. xxxvii. 12 to xxxviii. 11. li. 1-9. 
Zeph. i. to ii. 3. Jer. vii. 16. Mai. iv. 1-3. S. 
Matt. 1. iii. xxi, xxiv. 27-42. xxv. S. Mark i. 1-9. 
xiii. 32-37. S. Luke 1. iii. xii. xiii. 1-9. xiv. 1— 12. 
xvii. 12-19. xxi. 25-34. Rom. ii. 4-1 1. x. xv. II Cor, 
v. 1-10. Phil. iv. 1-11. Col. iii. 4-12. St. James 
v. 7-10. II Pet. iii. 10-12.* Rev. xx. 11-15. xix. 
11-16. See also Bible Common Place Book. 

"An exhortation against the Fear of Death ,} in 
the First Book of Homilies. Article xxxv. 

Of penitence, and the arms of penitence, or the ar- 
mour of God. Gen. ii. 11. Ex. xii. it. xxviii. 

2. Deut. xxx. 1. II Sam. xii. 13. Ezrax. i. Neh. 
viii. 9. Ps. xlv. 4. Cant. iii. 7. Isa. xxxviii. 15. 
lix. 17. lxi. 3. Jer. iv. r. xxxi. 21. Ez. xxx. 9. 
xxxiii. 11. Dan. ix. 3. Joel ii. 13. Jos. iii. 4. Bar. 
iv. 28. S. Matt. iii. 7. xii. 41. S, Luke xviii. 13. 
Eph. vi. 11. Col. iii. 12. Rev. ii. 5. S. A. N. 

Why are we at this season especially reminded that 
we 7?iust 'cast off the works of darkness and put on the 
armour of light V Rom. xiii. it, 12. Acts xvii. 30, 



* See also references 011 pages 40, 41, 52, 82, 84, 91, g2> 
119, 120 of Neaie's Moral Concordance of S. Antony, 



4e 



FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT, 



31. Tit.ii. 12, 13, 14. Rev. xxii, 12. Col iiu 4, 
5, 6. I Thes. v. 4, 5, 6, 8. II Pet. iii. 11-14. 

S. T 9 

"THOU ART COMING." 

Thou art coming, O my Saviour ! 

Thou art coming. O my King ! 
In Thy beauty all-resplendent, 
In Thy glory all-transcendent ; 

Well may we rejoice and sing ! 
Coming ! in the opening east, 

Herald brightness slowly sw r ells ! 
Coming ! O my glorious Priest, 

Hear we not Thy golden bells ? 

Thou art coming ! At Thy Table 
We are witnesses for this, 

While remembering hearts Thou meetest 

In communion dearest, sweetest^ 
Earnest of our coming bliss ; 

Showing not Thy death alone, 
And Thy love exceeding great, 

But Thy coming and Thy throne- 
All for which we long and wait. 

F. R. H. 



CARPE DIEM— IMPROVE THE DAY, 

What regret w r e sometimes feel after the death, or 
departure of a friend, at never having shown them 



ENTRANCE WEEK. 



47 



the respect, the gratitude we felt towards them, and 
how from the depths of our heart we are filled with 
tenderness and affection for them ! 

It may have been, that at times we could hot speak, 
because w r e thought too much of hotv to say it, 

Another time, we lost the opportunity because we 
were always shirking it. Deep devotion is sometimes 
a little erratic ; always afraid of doing too little, 
doing it badly or inopportunely. Oftener still the 
tokens of affection are checked, because we think 
we could show it in some better way ; we put off till 
brighter days, the dreams which we cherished, the 
sweet yearning to open the heart to the loved ones, and 
let them see for us, what a large place they fill there. 

Alas ! the days fly past, suddenly comes death, or, 
sadder still, separation without hope of return, leav- 
ing the bitter thought : ' Others will show them bet- 
ter than I have done, how dear, how valued they 
are/ Ah ! when we can be loving to-day, never let 
us say : 'I will love to-morrow ;' when we have the 
opportunity of being grateful, never put off, for one 
hour, the proof of our gratitude. (Apply these re- 
marks as they can be applied to Christ, especially 
, now that we are called to consider death and to enter 
another year of grace.) E. L. E. B. 

Psalms i. viii. xi. xii. xiv. xxi. xxv. xlv. xlvi. 1. li. 
lviii. Ixxii. lxxxii. lxxxv. xc. xcii. xciii. cxvi. cxvii. 
cxviii. cxix. Tau. cxxx. cxlv. Ps. in Burial Of. 4th 
and 1st Select. 



48 



FIEST WEEK IN ADVENT. 



Anthems. Ps. xxxv. i, 2. 1. 3. xcviii. 9. cii. 26. 
Isa. xL 1-10. lix. 20. lx. i, 2, 3. Ixi. 1. Hag. ii. 7. S. 
Matt. vi. 10. xxi. 9. xxii. 44. xxxv. 6. 31 andfol. vs. 
S. Mark i. 3. xi. 10 xiii. 33. S. Luke xix. 38. S. John 
xii. 13. Rev. 1. 7. iii, 20. xxii. 20. Magnificat. 
Hymn xiv. 4. The Media Vita as in the Burial Of- 
fice. Any text in the Words for the Week, or at the 
head of any of the Hymns here selected; or any of 
the following Psalms, 

Hymns 1-16. 28. 30. 31. 41. 50. 54. 55. 58. 59. 61. 

63- 6 5- 93- 97- l62 - 1 7 I - l8 3- 2l6 - 22T - 22 5- 2 3 2 - 2 3 8 - 
241. 242. 252. 258. 259. 297. 326. 334-333- 337- 348. 
362. 391. 393. 434. 449. 470. 472. 474. 476. 477. 479. 
480. 505. 509. 512. 513. 515. 520. 524. 525. 530. 
Evening Hymns. 

Collects. Annunc. S. John Bapt. S. Andrew- 
Nativity. 2d for Ash-W. 16th, 2 2d and 25th after 
T. 1st and 2d after Communion Office. 

* Behold, I stand at the door and knock' Rev. iii. 20, 

i O Jesu, Thou art standing 

Outside the fast-closed door, 
In lowly patience waiting 

To pass the threshold o'er : 
We bear the name of Christians, 

His name and sign we bear ; 



ENTRANCE WEEK. 



O shame, thrice shame upon us, 
To keep Him standing there. 

O Jesu, Thou art knocking ; 

And lo ! that hand is scarr'd, 
And thorns Thy brow encircle, 

And tears Thy face have marr'd 
O love that p-asseth knowledge, 

So patiently to wJit ! 
O sin that hath no equal, 

So fast to bar the gate ! 

O Jesu, Thou art pleading 

In accents meek and low, 
* I died for you, my children, 

And will ye treat me so?' 
O Lord with shame and sorrow 

We open now the door ; 
Dear Saviour, enter, enter, 

And leave us nevermore.' 



SEE ADDENDA. 
Page 761. 




50 



THE SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT, etc.. 
OR, BIBLE WEEK. 

PATIENCE AND COMFORT OF TKE SCRIPTURES. 

The time draws on : the dread sweet day is near : 
So for Thy graces. Holy Ghost, we plead, 
For powers of work and waiting in our need, 
Patience and comfort — grace to persevere, 
And grace and sunshine amid doubt and fear. 
May these twain now tend us : Patience to speed 
On to devoted will and living deed 
Our low pulses ; comfort to soothe and cheer. 
We need to hear Thy twofold music Lord! 
Patience stirring nobler life in the breast, 
Comfort softly singing of final rest : 
The clarion and the harp notes of Thy Word. 
For souls that hear the trumpet and the song 
Can be in striving still, in stillness strong. 

S. J. S. {slightly altered.) 

HOME COLLECT, 
Blessed Lord, Who hast assured us that the holy 
Scriptures testify of Thee, enable us so to live 
thereon, that by growth in grace we may come to 
Thee Who art with the Father and the Holy Spirit 
one God, world without end. Amen. 

C. F. H. 



51 



b2 



SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT. 



COMMENTS. 
In the Church Collect. — I. Hecuing, may be supposed 
to have especial reference to the preaching of God's word by 
His authorized ministers in His own house. II. Reading to 
our own private use of the sacred volume. III. Marking, to 
the careful observing of particular passages and truths, as 
suited to particular times and circumstances. Jer. xxii. 18. IV. 
Learning, the appropriating to our own use and improvement 
these passages and truths ; increasing thereby, our stock of 
knowledge. V. Inwardly digesting, to the incorporating these 
truths into the inner life of our souls ; the sustaining of our 
spiritual life by them as its true and proper nourishment, grow- 
ing thereby in meetness for the kingdom of heaven. A. W. 

Illustration. — When a kind parent sends his distant 
child a case of curious mechanical instruments, he takes to 
send along with them printed 4 directions for use.' Even such a 
set of directions has our Father sent us along with the case of 
cunning instruments which our living body contains. — {Sun. 
Teach. Treas.) R. D. D. 

The Church Collect for this day sets before us, in 
view of Christ's coming, the duty of walking in 
the light afforded by the Scriptures, thereby teach- 
ing us true Patience aud Comfort, the morning and 
evening stars of all true life when centred in Jesus, 
our only hope in life, and our only hope in death. 

The Epistle confirms the thought, declaring in 
its opening " Whatsoever things were written afore- 
time, were written for our learning ; that we through 
patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have 
hope," and praying in its conclusion " now the God 



BIBLE WEEK. 



53 



of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, 
that ye may abound in hope, through the power of 
the Holy Ghost." 

The Gospel further sings to us of the same pa- 
tience and comfort, and so amid the distress, per- 
plexity and fear before Christ's second coming, 
our blessed Lord tells us to " look up, for our re- 
demption draweth nigh — Heaven and earth shall 

pass away ; but My words shall not pass away." 

C. F. H. 

In the close of the Collect is brought out its sig- 
nificance in connection with the Ecclesiastical Sea- 
son ; 4 that by patience, and comfort of Thy holy 
Word, we may embrace, and ever hold fast the 
blessed hope of everlasting life.' The words ' bless- 
ed hope ' are taken from the second Chapter of St. 
Paul's Epistle to Titus, where they are closely asso- 
ciated with the Saviour's Second Advent ; ' Look- 
ing for that blessed hope, and the glorious appear- 
ing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus 
Christ.' The i blessed hope' cannot be fully 
realized before ' the glorious appearing.' 'Pa- 
tience ' should have a comma after it, as is the case 
in most editions of the Prayer Book ; for in several 
MSS. 2 of the Epistles (some of them early ones), 

2 The Codex Bezae (at Cambridge, latter end of the fifth, 
or earlier part of the sixth, century) the Codex Boreeli (at 
Utrecht, so called from John Boreel, Dutch ambassador at the 
court of James I., supposed to be of the ninth century), and 
all the more recent MSS., give a second <$ia (through). —Dean 
Alford's Greek Testament. 



54 



SECOND "WEEK TN ADVENT. 



the mind of the reader seems invited to pause upon 
the word ' patience \ by the repetition of the prepo- 
sition — 'that we, through patience, and through 
comfort of the scriptures, might have hope.' Nev- 
ertheless, the patience and the comfort are intimate- 
ly connected. The 'patience' is 'the patient 
waiting for Christ ', into which St. Paul prays that 
the hearts of the Thessalonians may be directed 3 , 
the patience 6 unto the coming of the Lord ' to 
which St. James exhorts. 4 The ' comfort ' is that 
assurance of His coming, and of its nearness to us, 
which the. Scriptures so often give, and by which 
they confirm and quicken our hope/ Old Simeon 
who waited ' for the consolation of Israel', 3 Joseph 
of Arimathea, 'who also himself waited for the 
kingdom of God', 1 had the hope of the First Ad- 
vent nourished- in them by the Scriptures of the 
Old Testament, and we, by the use of the whole 
Sacred Volume, must have the hope of the Second 
Advent nourished and confirmed in us. And thus 
the subject of this Collect, if given in full, is the 
right use of Holy Scripture \ as a means of preparing 
for the Second Advent. 

What an appropriate and seasonable, as well as 
what a precious prayer ! Unlike most Collects, it is 

3 See 2 Thess. iii. 5. 4 See S. James v. 7, 8. 

3 See S. Luke ii. 25. 
1 See S. Mark xv. 43 and S. Luke xxiii. 51. 



BIBLE WEEK. 



55 



not explicitly offered through the Mediator, al- 
though, of course, that is implied. 2 A different 
turn is given to the conclusion, which runs not as 
usual, i through Jesus Christ our Lord', but 1 in 
our Saviour Jesus Christ.' This, like the invo- 
cation, is peculiar to this Collect, and is a very sig- 
nificant variation on the ordinary formula, * The 
hope which Thou hast given us in our Saviour 
Jesus Christ ; ' — yes ; the hope is all bound up in 
Him and in His work for us — apart from Him the 
hope is the baseless fabric of a dream. And there- 
fore, when God is called ' our Saviour' by S. 
Paul, the Lord Jesus Christ is called in the same 
sentence 'our Hope;' 4 His return (after prepar- 
ing a place for His people), to take them to Him- 
self, being the Christian's great point of hope in the 
future ; for ' Christ in you', as the same Apostle 
says to the Colossians is ' the hope of glory.' 5 And 
it is a hope which steadies us amidst the storms of 
life; when our barks are tossed on i the waves of this 
troublesome world', 6 " which hope we have as an 
anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast, and which 
entereth into that within the veil ; whither the fore- 

2 See above, the Appendix to Book II. Part II. Chap. I, 
*' On the Terminations of the Collects," etc. (p. 94). 

4See 1 Tim. i. 1. *See Col. i. 27. 

6 See the first Prayer in " The Ministration of Publick Bap- 
tism of Infants." 



56 



SECOND WEEK EN T ADVENT. 



runner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high 
priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.' 7 

Thus, in one of the Advent Collects, the usual ex- 
pression of faith in Christ with which our prayers 
are closed, is most appropriately exchanged for an 
expression of hope in Him, for the grace of hope 
is pre-eminently the Advent grace. I really know 
not whether most to admire the intellectual dexter- 
ity, or the profound spiritual wisdom, displayed in 
this prayer. 

He who trusts in God, he who abides in Christ, 
is assured that he 'may have boldness in the day of 
judgment that he shall have 'hope in his death ' 
—that a mansion is prepared for him above — that 
the peace of God shall keep, shall garrison, his heart 
and mind at all times — that he shall go to those who 
are no longer here and who cannot return to him — 
that he shall be filled with the righteousness for 
which he hungers and thirsts — that there remaineth 
a rest for him — -that suffering here with Christ, he 
shall be glorified with Him hereafter. And whence 
do we draw all these elements of hope ? From the 
Scriptures of truth. The very object for which God 
caused them to be written was, that we might have 
fulness of hope — joyful eternal hope through Jesus 
Christ. For whatsoever things were written afore- 
time were written for our learning, that we through 



''Heb. vi. ig, 20. 



BIBLE WEEK. 



57 



patience and the comfort of the Scriptures might 
have hope. E. M. G. 

While the judgments of God are coming upon 
the earth the faithful are commanded to look up 
with confidence, because their redemption draweth 
nigh. Our Lord says, 1 In your patience possess ye 
your souls.' (S. Luke, xxi. 19). 

Trials may be long, weary, and in matters of what 
seem to be of little importance ; or they may be 
sharp, sudden, and such as to involve immediate 
consequences of vital concern. Either way. we must 
be looking forward. We shall have to give account 
of the way in which we have borne them. 

The great excellence of patience will not be 
known until the time for its exercise is over. While 
it is being exercised it seems to be worthless. Other 
virtues seem to be capable of effecting great things, 
but patience seems to the eyes of a spectator to be 
an absence of power. The power of patience is 
exerted internally ; and herein is its great excellence. 
Some virtues spend much of their power upon re- 
sults external, and even at times are liable to de- 
stroy themselves by the very results which they pro- 
duce ; for these results not unfrequently lead to 
mere delight in things external, or the still worse 
misery of pride, Patience is most perfect when the 
visible result is least encouraging. Its efficacy is 



SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT. 



entirely within. By patience the soul acts upon 
itself, exerting self control, and forming itself so as 
to find a tranquil joy in the adverse appointments of 
God's providence. 

By patience the soul acquires a special habit of 
communion with God, by the very fact of thus ac- 
cepting the Divine will in contradiction to its own 
natural impulses. The acceptance of the Divine 
will becomes a real habit which identifies the higher 
self with God, and loses all consciousness of exist- 
ence outside of God. 

By patience we learn to abide in the Divine eter- 
nity, looking for God's will to be accomplished in 
due season, regardless of the sufferings of the inter- 
vening period, in perfect confidence that the eternal 
issue will be for good. 

By patience we learn to make the Divine wisdom 
our moral law. Hereby we come to know the di- 
vine wisdom as a moral agent, evolving good from 
evil. But for this, our thought of God's power 
would be simply based upon the idea of omnipo- 
tence. If wc were not called to the exercise of pa- 
tience we should suppose God to be the autocratic 
ruler of the universe, whom none of His creatures 
could resist. Patience leads us to the recognition 
of a moral purpose in the Divine government, which 
necessitates the freedom of those who are under its 
control. 



BIBLE WEEK. 



Moral good there could be none, if God were not 
patient with the moral evil of the world. Mankind 
would then be mere machines, subject to the com- 
pulsion of God's will. Patience rests joyfully in the 
acknowledgment of the moral wisdom of the Al- 
mighty, and bears with the evils which are round 
about us, not in any spirit of indifference to wrong, 
but in clear confidence of the final triumph of good, 
which will come forth from the struggle renewed, 
developed, perfected, but not destroyed. If we 
would be patient we must identify ourselves wholly 
with God, and the strength of patience consists in 
our union with Him. Blessed are they that abide 
patiently with Him, more than if they had all the 
enjoyment of the world. Such union with Him 
amidst the sufferings of the outer world prepares 
the faithful for union with Him in the glory everlast- 
ing. Life is to them one continuous judgment, and 
judgment is to them the manifestation of God 
within themselves, and the great day of judgment 
is to them the culminating point of all the aims of 
life. To this their own desires and God's holy dis- 
cipline have both alike been leading them. . . . 

We are apt to think merely about being saved. 
We ought to look forward with definite hope to eter- 
nity, just as we are so ready to do whilst we specu- 
late upon the possible developments of time. 

No works of ours can merit grace, so that we can 



60 



SECOND WEEK EN ADVENT, 



be saved by them, and yet no works of ours are so 
insignificant as to be set aside by the great Judge. 
The greatest saint will suffer loss through the small- 
est fault, and the humblest of the faithful who dies 
in the grace of CHRist will have his works accepted 
as an offering of sweet savour to God. ' Whoso- 
ever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones 
a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, 
verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his 
reward.' (S. Matt. x. 42.) 

Such a principle of reward is, indeed, inherent in 
the law of our moral nature. God does not reward 
mankind by external wealth in the next world any 
more than in this. A man may have great posses- 
sions, but his happiness depends not upon what he 
has, but upon what he is. 

The full communication of God's glory 'would be 
only an intolerable burden if it were given to man 
in the next world as an external possession : God is 
known, possessed, enjoyed, by an internal act of 
holy fellowship. 

It will be plain, therefore, that every act whereby 
we have acquired the habit and likeness of the 
divine life must be a source of delight in God. The 
energies of the divine life are not merely transient 
and successive, but permanent in such a manner as 
to manifest a continuous growth. Every act that is 
done in the power of the divine life is not merely an 



BIBLE WEEK. 



51 



instance of its exercise, but a fresh development in 
him that does it of the divine nature whereby alone 
it can be done. 

No act fits man to receive a reward by its external 
goodness alone. Unless it be done in the strength 
of God it cannot merit the glory of God. 

No act on the other hand can be done in the living 
strength of the eternal God without fitting him that 
does it for some fresh communion with God, accord- 
ing to the law of habit by which our moral nature 
is formed. R. M. B. 

Whatsoever things are written aforetime, they are 
written for our learning, etc. 

This Scripture contains in it three things concern- 
ing the Scripture : 

What ( it is written. ) m ■ f Authority 

,xr, ) r [ Snowing the ) * ■ -J 

AVhen < aforetime. >■ 0 . - & , - ; Antiquity 

Why ( for our learning, j Scrl P ture s j Utility. ' 

For the first ; things only told passing through 
many mouths, are easily mistold ; it is long ere we 
get thenij and we soon forget them. Almighty God 
therefore commanded that His law should be written 
in books, and engraven in stone, that the syllables 
thereof might always be in our eyes, so well as the 
sound in our ears, and that for two causes especially : 

i. That the godly man might exercise himself 
therein day and night. 



62 



SECOND "WEEK EN ADVENT. 



2. That the wicked might neither add to it, nor 
detract from it. 

In like manner, albeit, the sound of the thunder- 
ing apostles went out through all the earth, and 
their words unto the end of the world ; yet the 
Spirit of Wisdom thought it meet that there should 
be a treatise written of i all that Christ did and 
said ' : and that ' from point to point,' entitled, 
" The Book of the Generation of Jesus Christ.' 
The scripture then is a Bible because written ; and 
the Bible in many respects excelling all other books, 
especially for the Maker and matter, in so much 
that St. Paul saith, ' If an angel from heaven preach 
otherwise, let him be accursed/ And Justin Martyr 
goes yet further : • If Christ Himself should preach 
another god, or another gospel, I would not believe 
Him.' This doctrine makes against unwritten veri- 
ties of papists, and fond relations of anabaptists, 
and factious interpretations of schismatics, and im- 
pudent conceits of libertines ; all of which equal 
their own fantasies with the Scripture's authority. 

The papists and schismatics are all for a speaking 
scripture ; the libertines and anabaptists are all for 
an infused scripture ; ' to the law and to the testi- 
mony.' ' Thy word is a lantern unto my feet, and 
a light unto my paths.' 

The second point to be considered is, that the 
Scriptures were written aforetime, being the first 



BIBLE WEEK. 



63 



book so well as the best book ; for as Tertullian was 

wont to call Praxeas, youthful 

Praxeas', so we may term the most ancient poets 
and philosophers, in comparison of Moses, upstart 
writers. All the classics are new and of yesterday. 
A Galaton painted Homer vomiting, but the other 
poets drinking the things which he had vomited, 
to signify, saith ^Elian, that he was the first poet, 
and all others, as well Greek as Latin, but his apes. 

In like manner, Moses is called by Theodoret, 
r the sea of divinity ', from whom all other writers 
as rivers are divided. The which point, as it is ex- 
cellently confirmed by Theodoret, Clemens, Jose- 
phus, and others, so it is ingenuously confessed 
even by the heathen historiographers : Eupolemus 
. . . . avoweth Moses to be the first wise 
man ; Plato, that a barbarous Egyptian was the first 
inventor of arts; Appion, Ptolemy, Palaemon have 
granted the same 

To demonstrate this more particularly : the Trojan 
war is the most ancient subject of human history ; but 
Troy w r as taken in the days of David, about the 
year of the world, 2788, and Homer flourished 
Anno 3000, whereas Moses was born, Anno 2373. 

Secondly, this 'written aforetime,' confutes the 
Marcionites and Manichees, and all such as reject 
the Old Testament. For the place, to which the 
text hath reference, is taken out of the 69th Psalm, 



64 



SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT. 



verse 9. That the Scriptures of Moses and the 
Prophets are written for our instruction, it is plain 
by Christ's injunction, 1 search the Scriptures ; ' 
as also by that of our apostle, 1 Cor. x. ' These 
things happened unto them for ensamples ; and 
were written to admonish us, upon whom the ends 
of the w r orld are come/ If all little histories, then, 
much more the great mysteries are our schoolmas- 
ters unto Christ. Let us examine therefore the 
third observable point, concerning the Scripture's 
utility: ' Whatsoever things were written aforetime, 
they were written for our learning.' The Scripture, 
saith Paul, is the people's instruction ; the Scripture, 
say the papists, in the vulgar tongue, is the people's de- 
struction. The Scripture, saith Paul, doth make the 
man of God absolute; the Scripture, say the papists in 
a known language, make men heretical and dissolute ; 
but the Bible makes men heretics, as the sun makes 
men blind, and therefore Wickliffe truly; To con- 
demn the Word of God, translated in any language 
for heresy, is to make God an heretic. Not to press 
this place nor urge any other Scripture, w r e may 
beat the Rhemish and Romish in this controversy 
with their own weapons, antiquity and custom. For 
it is acknowledged that the Christians in old time 
read the Bible to their great edification and increase 
of faith, in their mother tongue. The Armenians 
had the Psalter, and some other pieces of Scripture 



BIBLE WEEK. 



65 



translated by Saint Chrysostom ; the Sclavonians by 
S. Hierome ; the Goths by Vulpilas, and that before 
he was an Arian ; the Italians three hundred years 
since by James, Archbishop of Genoa ; and the 
Bible was in French also two hundred years ago. 
Besides these, the Syrians, Arabians, ^Ethiopians 
had of ancient time the Scriptures in their several 
languages, as it is manifest by those portions of 
them, which are at this day brought from their 
countries into this part of the world. 

To speak of our own country: venerable Beda 
did translate the whole Bible into the Saxon tongue, 
and the gospel of Saint John into English. King 
Alfred also, considering the great ignorance that 
was in his kingdom, translated both the Testaments 
into his native language ; Queen Anne, wife of 
Richard the Second, had scriptures translated in 
the vulgar, as Thomas Arundel, then Archbishop of 
York, the Chancellor of England, mentioned at her 
funeral sermon, Anno 1394. Moreover, in a Parlia- 
ment of this King Richard, there was a bill put in 
to disannul the Bible translated into English, unto 
which John Duke of Ivan caster, answered, and said : 
' we will not be the refuse of all men ; other nations 
have God's laws in their own language.' Thomas 
Arundel, as we read in the constitution of Linwood, 
being translated into the See of Canterbury, made 
straight provision in a council holden at Oxford, 



SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT. 



that no version set out by Wrckliffe or his adherents 
should be suffered, being not approved by the dio- 
cesan. 

It is apparent then out of our own chronicles, 
that the Bible was turned into the mother tongue 
before and after the conquest, before and after the 
time of Wickliffe, before and after the days of 
Luther ; and all this pain was undertaken by good 
and holy men, that the people of God reading and 
understanding the Scripture, through patience and 
comfort of the same, might have certain hope of 
another life. As then I condemn the malice of 
papists in forbidding, so likewise the negligence of 
carnal gospellers, in forbearing to read those things 
aforetime written for our learning. Our forefathers 
heretofore spared neither cost nor pains ; they ven- 
tured their crowns and their heads too for the New 
Testament in English, translated by Master Tyndal ; 
and when they could not have the gospel in the 
Church publicly, they received much comfort by 
reading in their own houses privately; the very chil- 
dren became fathers unto their parents, and begat 
them in Christ, even by reading a few plain chap- 
ters unto them in a corner ; but in our time, when 
every shop hath Bibles of divers translations, edi- 
tions, volumes, annotations, the number of those 
who do read is less, the number of those who read 
as they should, least of all. If a learned clerk 



BIBLE WEEK. 



07 



should pen a treatise for thy particular instruction, 
thou wouldst instantly with all diligence peruse it. 
If a nobleman should send thee gracious letters con- 
cerning thy preference, thou wouldst with all dutiful 
respect entertain them. If thy father, or some 
other friend, taking a journey into a far country, 
should pen his will, and leave it in thy hands and 
custody, thou wouldst hold it as a great token of 
his love. Behold, the Bible is written by wisdom 
itself for our learning, that we may be perfect unto 
all good works. It is God's epistle, and letters pa- 
tent, wherein are granted unto us many gracious 
immunities and privileges ; it is his Testament 
wherein all His will is revealed, whatsoever He would 
have done or undone ; and therefore let us pray 
with the Church, that we may in such wise read 
holy scriptures, hear, mark, learn, and inwardly di- 
gest them, that by patience and comfort of God's 
holy word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the 
hope of everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. 

. . Christ did as well expound the law, as 
propound the gospel. He poured wine and oil into 
the wounds of him that was half dead ; oil which is 
supple, wine which is sharp ; and when He departed 
He gave the host two pence, that is, to the preach- 
ers, who take charge of him, the two Testaments, 
and willed them to temper and apply these two till 



88 



SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT. 



He come again, that thinking on 'the Gospel we 
might never despair, and thinking on the law we 
might never presume ; that looking upon Christ's 
second coming we might fear, because there shall be 
signs in the sun and in the moon, etc. J. B. 

The Church having purposed by exercises of con- 
fession, prayer, and praise, to bring her children into 
a more fit state to listen to God's written word with 
a humble, willing, thankful, and obedient mind, pro- 
ceeds at Morning and Evening Prayer daily— through- 
out the year to read some portions of Holy Scripture. 
Of the particulars of the parts and order of Divine 
worship in the primitive Church very scanty records 
survive. But the testimony is abundant and con- 
clusive, that the public Service of the Church, from 
the first, embraced the reading of some portions of 
the sacred writings. And the remains of those early 
writers, to whose works our thoughts are here espe- 
cially drawn, overflow with urgent admonitions to us 
all to make the study of Holy Scripture cur business 
and delight. It is, indeed, most cheering and en- 
couraging to hear the voices of the holy men of old, 
whether trained up from the cradle in the nurture and 
admonition of the Lord, or converted from Paganism 
in after life, appealing to the testimony of God's 
written Word in confirmation of the doctrines which 
they maintain ; and not only permitting and inviting 



BIBLE WEEK. 



69 



us, but with authority enjoining on us all to search 
the Scriptures for ourselves, as the fountain-head of 
all truth ; as providing the only authority from which 
there is no appeal ; and as best supplying spiritual 
food for the strengthening and refreshing of our 
souls. 

The sound of these voices, beginning at Jerusa- 
lem and in Syria, where, after the Apostles, Justin 
Martyr and Cyril, and Theodoret preached, we hear, 
in various ages, re-echoed from every province in 
Christendom. We hear it in the words of Clement, 
and Cyril, and Athanasius, Origen, and Isidore, from 
Alexandria and Egypt; of Cyprian, and Tertullian, 
and Augustine, from Northern Africa ; of Clement 
and Ambrose, from Italy ; of Irenaeus, and Hilary, 
and Prosper, from Gaul ; of Basil, and the Gregories, 
and Lactantius, from divers parts of Asia ; of Chrys- 
ostom, from Antioch and Constantinople; of Jerome 
from Strido ; the name of which, but for him, would 
not now be known. 

Such voices, indeed, grew weaker and more con- 
fused as the noise of superstition waxed louder, and 
well-nigh drowned them; still they were never entirely 
silenced ; and it is now cheering and refreshing to 
pass back over these ages of darkness and corrup- 
tion, in which the Word of God was almost made of 
none effect by human traditions, and to rest our eyes 
on those earlier and better times, when the teachers 



TO 



SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT. 



of Christ's Holy Catholic Church willingly and 
strenuously vindicated for the Holy Scriptures her 
paramount authority. 

We cannot, indeed, wonder, that after the Scrip- 
tures had been so long depressed, and displaced 
from their supreme authority in the Church to make 
room for a corrupt system of religion, pious and 
zealous men should have been driven by a kind of 
reaction into another extreme ; and in their jealousy 
for the supreme honour of the Bible deny even to 
the ancient Fathers their right and legitimate place 
in the studies of Christian theology. Our own 
Church (Blessed be God !) has set us a wise and safe 
example, keeping the safe course between these 
opinions, securing beyond all appeal its supremacy 
to the Bible, and yet assigning their just place of 
dignity and authority to the precious remains of the 
primitive ages. And now probably most of us will 
acquiesce in the sentiments uttered by our own 
Bishop Jewell, nearly three hundred years ago : 

6 But what say we of the fathers, Augustine, Am- 
brose, Jerome, Cyprian, etc ? what shall we think of 
them, or what account may we make of them ? 
They be interpreters of the word of God ; they were 
learned men and learned fathers ; the instruments of 
the mercy of God, and vessels full of grace. We de- 
spise them not, we read them, we reverence them, 
and give thanks unto God for them. They were 



BIBLE WEEK. 



71 



witnesses unto the truth ; they were worthy pillars 
and ornaments in the Church of God. Yet may they 
not be compared with the Word of God. We may 
not build upon them ; we may not make them the 
foundation and warrant of our conscience ; we may 
not put our trust in them. Our trust is in the name 
of the Lord.' J. E. T. 

THE BIBLE. 

The Bible ? That's the Book. The Book indeed, 

The Boo'k of Books ; 

On which who looks, 
As he should do, aright, shall never need 

Wish for a better light 

To guide him in the night ; 

Or, when he hungry is, for better food 

To feed upon. 

Than this alone, 
If he bring stomach and digestion good : 

And if he be amiss, 

This the best Physic is. 

The true Panchreston 'tis for every sore 

And sickness, which 

The poor and rich 
With equal ease may come by. Yea, 'tis more. 

An antidote, as well 

As remedy 'gainst Hell. 



72 



SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT. 



*Tis Heaven in perspective, and the bliss 

Of glory here, 

If any where 
By Saints on earth anticipated is, 

Whilst faith to every word 

A being doth afford. 

It is the Looking-glass of souls wherein 

All men may see, 

Whether they be 
Still as by nature they are, deform'd with sin ; 

Or in a better case, 

As new adorned with grace. 

'Tis the great magazine of spiritual arms, 

Wherein doth lie 

The artillery 
Of heaven, ready charged against all harms, 

That might come by blows 

Of our infernal foes. 



God's Cabinet of revealed counsel 'tis : 

When weal and woe 

Are order'd so, 
That every man may know which shall be his 

Unless his own mistake 

False fabrication make. 



BIBLE WEEK. 



73 



It is the Index to Eternity, 

He cannot miss 

Of endless bliss, 
That takes the chart to steer his voyage by. 

Nor can he be mistook, 

That speaketh by this Book. 

A Book, to which no Book may be compared 

For excellence ; 

Pre-eminence 
Is proper to it, and cannot be shared, 

Divinity alone 

Belong to it, or none. 

It is the Book of God. What if I should 

Say, God of Books ? 

Let him that looks 
Angry at that expression, as too bold, 

His thoughts in silence smother 

Till he find such another. G. H. 

USE YOUR BLESSINGS TO BE BLESSED. 

The Blind Girl's Bible, — In France lived a 
poor blind " girl," who obtained the Gospel accord- 
ing to S. Mark in raised letters, and learnt to read 
it by the ends of her fingers. By hard work these 
became callous, and her sense of touch diminished 
till she could not 'distinguish the characters. One- 
day she cut the skin from the ends of her fingers to 



74 



SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT,, 



increase their sensibility, only to destroy it. She felt 
that she must now give up her beloved book, and 
weeping, pressed it to her lips, saying, a Farewell, 
farewell sweet word of my heavenly Father, food for 
my soul ! I must part with thee!" But to her sur- 
prise her lips, more delicate than her fingers, dis- 
covered the form of the letters. With gratitude all 
night she perused with her lips the holy book. 

R. D. D. 

Readings. Job xxxiv. 10-20. Joel ii. 11-^16. 
Isaiah v. xi. xiii. 6-13. xxiv. xxxvii. li. lxii. Zech. 
viii. S. Matt. ii. S. Mark xii. xiii. S. Luke i. xii. 
42-48. xiii. 23-30. xiv. xviii. xxi. S. John i. Rom. 
xii. xiii. xv. 1 Cor. xv. Col. iii. 2 Thess. i. Rev. 
i. 4-7. xix. 11-16. xx. 11-15. 

How should we receive and use the written Word of 
God 2 Deut. xvii. 19. Ps. i. 2. Luke xvi. 29. Acts 
xvii. 11. Josh i. 8. Jer. xv. 16. John v. 39. James 
i. 21, 22, 25. S. T. 

" Of the greatness of the consolation of Divine wis- 
dom, or of Holy Scripture ; and that, in troubles 
whether external or internal ^ 

Gen. i ; 1-14. ii. iii. xxiii. 1. xiii; 7, 24. xliii; 27. 
xlv ; 1. Ex. i ; 12. Job ii ; 3, 10. 11 ; xiv. xxii ; 23. 
Ps. xviii ; 35. xc ; 15. cxxi ; 7. Jer. xxx ; 11, 17. Job 
iv ; 21. Ecclus. ii ; 1. xxvii ; ^. 1 Mace, iv ; 30. II 



BIBLE WEEK. 



75 



Mace, vi ; 13. S. Luke 1 ; 39-65. S. John xvi ; 20. 
Acts xiv ; 24. Rom. vi ; 5. viii ; 18, 35 . xiv ; 7. xv ; 4. 
] Cor. x ; 13. xi ; 32. II Cor. iv ; 16. v ; 16. v ; t. 
vi ; 4. viii ; 2. xii ; 9. Heb. xi ; 14. xii ; 3, 1 1. xiii ; 
5. 1 S. Pet. ii ; 19, 21. iv ; 12. v ; ic. Rev. i ; 9. ii ; 
10, 17. iii ; 5, 1 1. vii ; 3, 14, xii ; 7. xxi ; 7. 

Of Expounding the Scriptures. Ezra vii ; 10. Job 
xxviii ; 11. Prov. xi ; 26. xii; 8. Ecclus. xxiv ; 
29. xxxix ; 1. xliv ; 3. 

Of Preaching the Gospel. Ps. lxviii ; 11. lxxi ; 16. 
Ixxiii ; 27. cxix ; 13. Isa. xl ; 9. xii; 27. xlviii ; 
28. Nath. i ; 15. S. Matt, xi ; 5, S. Mark xvi; 
15. S, Luke vii; 22." S. A. N. 

THE ETERNAL WELFARE OF THOSE WE 
LOVE. 

Who is anxious for a beloved one's eternal wel- 
fare ? 

We interest ourselves for their success— their 
prosperity ; we ask God to keep them from harm and 
misfortune ; we try to start them well in the world 
— to make them of reputation — to procure them 
pleasure. 

To spare them trouble we sacrifice our own ease 
and enjoyment. . . . 

Oh ! that is all very beautiful, very right : but 
what should we do for the soul ? 



16 



SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT. 



Do we pray to God that this soul become humble, 
pure, devoted ? 

Do we take as much pains to procure him (and 
feed him with the teaching of the Bible? C. F. H.), 
the little devotional book, that will really help him, 
as we should to obtain a transient pleasure ? 

Do we help him, unseen, towards that act of 
charity, humiliation or self-renunciation ? Have we 
courage not to spare the soul the trial that we know 
will purify ? 

Does it seem too hard for you ? 

Ah ! then you do not know what real love is. 
Does not God love us ? Yet, God lets us suffer ; 
even sends the suffering. 

Love is given to us, to help us onwards, nearer to 
God. The most blessed, is that which draws us 
nearest to Him ; and in proportion as it leads to 
God, we realize its blessedness. 

The essence of true love is not its tenderness, but 
its strength, power of endurance, its purity, its self- 
renunciation. 

The mistake we make, is when we seek to be be- 
loved, instead of loving. What makes us cowardly, 
is the fear of losing that love. 

E. L. E. B. 



For further readings see Cruden's Concordance, 



BIBLE WEEK. 



77 



Bailey's Liturgy Compared with the Bible. Articles 
6, 7, 17, and " A fruitful Exhortation to the Reading 
of Holy Scripture " in the " First Book of Homilies." 

Psalms ix. x. xi. xlv. xlvi. xlix. 1. li. lxxii. lxxviii. 
lxxx. lxxxv. xciii. xcv. cxix. cxx. cxxii. cxxx. Psalm 
in the Burial Office. 1st and 5th Selections. 

Anthems. Isa. xxx. 30 ; lii. 1, 2, 7, 9 ; lxxx. i 0 
Hag. ii. 6, 7. Mai. iii. 1, 2, 3. The Media Vita in 
the Burial Office. Hymns 14, verse 1, 2, or 7. Any 
text in the Words for the Week, or at the head of 
any of the Hymns here selected, or any of the 
Psalms above. 

Hymns 1-16. 28. 41. 58. 59. 61. 63. 65. 134. 
163. 166. 207. 222. 241. 326. 334. 335. 357. 360- 
368. 398. 449. 474. 479-497- 5 GI - S°5» 5°9- -S^- 
514. 520. 524. 525. 530. 

Collects. Annunciation. S. John the Baptist. 
5th Sunday after Epiphany. 5th Sunday after 
Easter. Whitsunday, 5th, 9th and 25th after Trin- 
ity. Collect after the Commandments. 1st and 2d 
after the Communion Office. 

' Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my 
bath! Ps. cxix. 105. 

' O Word of God incarnate, 
O Wisdom from on high, 
O truth unchanged, unchanging, 
O Light of our dark sky ! 



7fi 



SECOND WEEK IN AJDVENT. 



We praise Thee for the radiance 

That from the hallow 'd page, 
A lantern to our footsteps, 

Shines on from age to age. 
The Church from her dear Master 

Received the gift divine, 
And still that light she lifteth, 

O'er all the earth to shine. 
It is the golden casket 

Where gems of truth are stored, 
It is the heaven-drawn picture 

Of Christ the living Word. 

It fioateth like a banner 

Before God's hosts unfurl'd; 
It shineth like a beacon 

Above the darkling world ; 
It is the chart and compass 

That o'er life's surging sea, 
'Mid mists, and rocks, and quicksands, 

Still guide, O Christ, to Thee. 



SEE ADDENDA. 
Page 775. 



THE THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT, etc., OR 
"MINISTERS'"* WEEK. 



Thy ministers at Thy command 
Thy water-pots with water fill 
Draw out and bear them through the land, 
Yet they contain but water still, 
Until Thy word divine 
Doth change it into wine. E. H. 



*The word minister means an inferior ; one who acts under 
a superior, and in virtue of a derived and not an inherent au- 
thority. The office of a minister gives him a two-fold rela- 
tion ; first to his superior, and secondly to those towards whom 
he acts in his superior's name. Now as the clergy are minis- 
ters, it is important to observe whose ministers they are, and by 
whose authority they act ; and on this point it is written, 1 Let 
a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ,' and 
not the ministers of the people. 

It is worthy of remark that the clergy are always referred to 
in the Holy Scriptures as ministers of God or Christ, and 
never as ministers of the people or of the Church, 

Thus S. Paul says ' we are ambassadors for Christ,' and 
our blessed Saviour says 1 as My Father hath sent me, even 
so send I you.' 

It is no derogation to a minister's divine commission that he 
makes himself the servant of men, For S. Paul abased him- 
self that the Corinthians might be exalted 1 though I be free 

79 



so 



THIBD WEEK IN ADVENT. 



HOME COLLECT. 

Almighty God, mercifully send upon Thy Church 
Thy heavenly blessing, that Thy ministers maybe 
clothed with righteousness, and that Thy Word 
spoken by them may never be spoken in vain. 
Vouchsafe to all men the grace to hear Thy truth 
and whatsoever is agreeable to the same, to the 
glory of Thy most Holy Name and the increase of 
Thy kingdom ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen. (Adapted.) C. F. H. 

COMMENTS. 

In view of Christ's Incarnation, life, Ascension 
and return, the Church now calls in solemn Advent 
tones for such faithfulness on the part of her minis- 

from all men,' he says, 4 yet have I made myself a servant to all 
that I might gain some.' ' We preach not ourselves, but 
Christ Jesus the Lord ; and ourselves your servants,' your 
slaves 'for Jesus' sake.' 

It is right and safe to adhere, as far as we can, to scriptural 
modes of speech, because they are apt to convey and to pre- 
serve scriptural thoughts ; whereas imscriptural modes- of 
speech are apt to express and propagate unscriptural notions, 
and have perhaps been invented for the purpose. On this 
account it is better to call the clergy, as our use is, rectors or 
pastors of Churches, than ministers of Churches. The force 
of the latter expression may be seen from the analogy of civil 
affairs. We speak of 4 our minister St. James' or 4 our minis- 
ter to Great Britain,' but we would not say of the person who 
serves our government in that country, that he is a minis- 
ter of Great Britain, for that would imply that he derived his 



ministers' week. 



81 



ters, and such assistance, reverence and acceptance 
of these ministers by the people, that their united 
efforts, prayers, and reception of the truth, may be 
such as to receive the praise of God. To this 
end the Collect teaches us to pray for faithful min- 
isters, the Epistle how to regard them, and the Gos- 
pel how 7 we are to consider Christ's approval of 
the truth they preach, as is illustrated in the confir- 
mation and commendation of the preaching of the 
prophet S. John the Baptist. 

As S. John the Baptist, moreover, was sent on his 
ministry by the voice of God Himself through both 
inspired and miraculous revelation from heaven to 
prepare for Christ's first coming, so must, and so 

authority from the British government, and was responsible to 
it for the discharge of his mission. So to say that a clergyman 
is the minister of such a Church, conveys the notion that he 
derives his authority from the members of the Church, and is 
deputed by them to his office. Call your clergyman the minis- 
ter of Christ to or over you or for you, or Christ's minister 
among you, and you use scriptural language and express scrip- 
tural truth ; but call him the minister of your Church, or your 
CJmrctis minister, or your minister, and you use an expression 
which is capable, indeed, of a sound construction, and may 
plead good authority ; but which as being apt to convey an 
erroneous impression, and as having no scriptural warrant, 
had better, I think, be avoided,* S. S. 



* This may teach an important truth and restrain some from an im- 
proper use of a conventional usage. C. F. H. 



b2 



THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT 



has the ministry of Christ been sent to prepare for 
Christ's second coming, in, and through the Person 
of Jesus Christ Himself, to Whom was given in 
_ His human nature all power in heaven and earth. 
(S. Matt, xxviii.) Thus by Christ's testimony, and 
by His authority, we are enabled to distinguish in 
an official sense,. Christ's lawful ministry, with 
which He promised to be unto the end of the world 
in what is known in the Church as the Apostolical 
succession, C. F. H. 

In this day's Collect we are taught to pray for 
those whose office it now is to prepare the way of 
our Lord's second coming. 

We pray rather for our Clergy at this time as the 
Church has made this one of her Ember* Seasons. 

*The Ember-days (so called from our forefathers fasting 
on those days in sackcloth and ashes, or from their eating 
nothing but cakes baked under the embers), are the Wednes- 
day, Friday and Saturday of the 1st week in Lent, of Whit- 
sun-week, of the 3d week in Sept., and the 3d week in Advent. 
The spirit of the Church is, to engage her children at these 
stated times to pray, fast, and perform such other good works 
as may prevail with God to furnish His Church with good pas- 
tors. We are likewise to beg God's blessing on the fruits of 
the earth, and give him thanks for those we have already 
received. R. M. 

The Ember Days are the Wednesdays, Fridays, and Satur- 
days which occur, 1st, in winter, immediately after the third 
Sunday in Advent ; 2d, in the spring, immediately after the 



ministers' week. 



83 



The Ember Weeks are called the Fasts of the Four 
Times, consecrating to God the four seasons of 
the year — spring, summer, autumn and winter. 
Their purpose is, to implore, by prayer and fasting, 
the blessing and direction of God for the ministers 
about to be ordained ; they are the four weeks 
going before four separate Sundays in the year, on 
which the Bishops ordain Priests and Deacons to 
the ministry. In the prayers appointed to be used 
during the Ember Weeks, we ask that the Bishops 
may choose wisely, and that those whom they choose 
may serve faithfully Christ ; both God and man, 
to Whom all power is given in heaven and earth. 
He is the fountain of our ministers' authority ; and 
to be His ministers and stewards, they must have 
His commission ; for no man can take that high 
honour to himself. And now that Christ is raised 
to the highest heavens, He gives commission and 
authority by descent from those to whom first He 

first Sunday in Lent ; 3d, in the summer, during Whitsun- 
Week ; 4th, in the autumn, immediately after the 14th of Sep- 
tember. They are days of fasting, and of great antiquity in 
the Church. — Sadliers Catholic Directory. 

M Fasting-days and Emberings be Lent, Whitsun, Holyrood, 
(Holy Cross, Sept, 14), and Lucie." (S. Lucy V. M., Dec. 13.) 

Friday fasts in the Ember Weeks in the East, according to 
Wolcott as quoted by Dr. Nicholas Hoppin were the " Golden 
Fridays." 



Si 



THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT. 



gave it — His holy Apostles. He gave it to them 
first, that by them it might be handed on to their 
successors, and continued to the end of time ; He 
promised to be with His commission from age to 
age, to the end of the world, when He shall come to 
judgment. C. S. 

Our (present) Collect (for this Sunday) was 
substituted by Cosin and his colleagues for a 
much shorter and quite unobjectionable one, in 
which our Lord was besought to ' give ear to our 
prayer,' ' to lighten the darkness of our heart/ 
The great merit of our new (present) Collect 
is that it introduces a new idea, which is not 
only most valuable in itself, but also carries on, and 
beautifully dovetails in with, the train of thought, 
which runs through the series of Advent Collects. 
In the first Collect we pray God to give us grace to 
prepare ourselves for the dawn of the Second Ad- 
vent on this benighted world, in the way prescribed 
in His Word, ' by casting away the works of darkness 
and putting upon us the armour of light.' But if we 
would make this preparation successfully, we must use 
the means which God gives us of making it. The first 
means are the Holy Scriptures, which rightly used, will 
fortify us with patience until the Second Advent, 
and give us comfort in the hope of its appearing. 
This, therefore, is the subject of the second Collect. 
And what other means are given us of preparing 



ministers' week. 



85 



for the Second Advent? The Christian ministry 
rightly exercised ; to which, moreover, our thoughts 
are drawn by the fact that the third week in Advent 
is an Ember week, in preparation for the fourth 
Sunday, on which Holy Orders are administered, 
and labourers sent forth into the Lord's vineyard. 
This, then, is the great fundamental thought of the 
third Collect — that one means of preparing for the 
Second Advent is the Christian ministry rightly ex- 
ercised, as another is Holy Scripture rightly used. 

E. M 0 G. 

From this day's Epistle we may learn (i.) Who 
are the officers appointed to make ready the way 
for Christ's coming to Judgment. (2.) If Christ's 
ministers are to make the way ready for His second 
coming, then we may learn hence to hearken to 
them, and receive their message ; the words they 
deliver are from God, and therefore to be received 
with all reverence and veneration, and to be counted 
worthy of all acceptation. M. H. 

The people of Corinth in Paul's time,like the people 
. . . . in our time, were very factious and humor- 
ous, extolling some preachers, and despising others 
indiscreetly, without either judgment or love. Saint 
Paul therefore rebukes sharply this insolent rashness. 
.... Whereas the Corinthians ascribed either too 
much or too little to their teachers, our Apostle 



THIED WEEK IN ADVENT. 



shows a mean, ' Let a man this wise/ etc., neither 
magnifying them as Christ, for they are not mas- 
ters but ministers, and yet not vilifying them as 
ordinary servants in God's house ; for they are 
stewards, and that of God's own secrets. 

Albeit Paul plant, and Apollos water, only God 
giveth increase, Paul planted in preaching, Apol- 
los watered in Baptism ; some plant by their words, 
others plant by their works ; some plant by doctrine, 
others water by their exhortation ; some plant by 
speaking, others water by writing, but in all God is all. 

. . . . But albeit, preachers are servants, yet 
are they not mean, but high stewards ; and this is 
an exceedingly great dignity to be Christ's mouth* 
Christ's voice, Christ's messengers, Christ's 
angels, inasmuch as ' he that receiveth them, receiv- 
eth Him, and he that despiseth them, despiseth 
Him,' as ambassadors speaking from Him, and for 
Him, as our Apostles elsewhere. They be not only 
common ambassadors, but — stewards of His hidden 
secrets — administers of His sacraments, which are 
mysteries, and preachers of His faith, which is a 
deep secret, i Tim. hi. 16, of all others the great- 
est, and yet it is the ministers' proper office, with S. 
John Baptist, to show the Lamb of God, which 
taketh away the sins of the world. 

They are the mouth of God in preaching to the 
people, and again the people's mouth in preaching 



ministers' week. 



S7 



to God ; even mediators, as it were, between God 
and man ; as Moses said of himself, Deut. v.: 'I 
stood between the Lord and you, to declare unto 
you the work of the Lord.' This doth intimate 
how we should teach, and you should hear. . . 

It is a good observation, that the lawyer ought to 
begin with reason, and sq descend to common expe 
rience and authority. The physician must begin 
with experience, and so come to reason and author- 
ity ; but the divine must begin with authority, and 
so proceed to reason and experience. 

This may teach you to hear our voice; not as the 
word of men, but, as it is indeed, the word of God. 
Christ said of the wicked Pharisees, in the 23d of 
Saint Matthew, do as they say, but not as they do ; 
for they do their own works, but speak the Lord's 
word. And therefore so long as the preachers de- 
liver the wholesome words of our Lord Jesus, or 
doctrine which is according to His words, you must 
entertain them as angels of God, even as Christ 
Jesus ; honouring their place, and reverencing their 

persons Preachers are called angels in 

the Xew Testament, that is, messengers and ambas- 
sadors of God ; and here the Gospel agrees with 
the Epistle. This is a pattern of Saint Paul's pre- 
cept ; preachers are to be respected as the ministers 
of Christ, and stewards of God, for God saith of 
S. John the Baptist, i Behold I send My messenger/ 



ss 



THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT. 



etc., . . . . It is the minister's office to show 
men the right way to salvation, and to bring them 
unto God ; our Saviour hath promised to come 
unto men ; it is our duty therefore to knock at the 
doors of your heart, by preaching faith and repent- 
ance, to prepare the way for our Master, that when 
Himself knocks He may be let in, and so sup with 
you, and you with Him evermore. Amen. J. B. 

In the Gospel the signs of Christ's presence 
with His Church are shown by the scriptures of to- 
day. As the Saviour sent forth His agents in that 
generation to carry on His work, in the person of 
Apostles, so does He send forth the ministers and 
stewards of His mysteries now. The one and the 
other both act by His authority, are endowed with 
His power, and do His work. As His ministers 
they have in past generations opened the eyes of 
the spiritually blind, healed spiritual infirmities by 
the ministration of their Master's grace, made life 
giving streams of sacramental power to spring up in 
the wilderness and deserts of the world. As, there- 
fore, the Divine power gave evidence of the Divine 
presence to those who were sent to ask, 4 art Thou 
He that should come ? ' So the Divine power still 
gives evidence that the promise is fulfilled, 'Lo, I 
am with you always, even to the end of the world.' 

J. H. B. 

Not only did our Lord appoint a ministry in 



ministers' week. 



89 



diverse orders, but He gathered His followers into 
a Church which became an organized body. They 
were not left scattered and isolated, each one to do 
his own work in his own way ; but they were organized 
into a body, having a common life, and all deriving 
health and strength from the co-operation of one 
upon another and of all together. In this organi- 
zation there was a tremendous power to help the 
weak, to steady the wavering, to restrain the erratic 
and wayward, to build up the inner life by which 
they were able to rise above the temptations of the 
world. And so vastly superior was this as a means 
of doing good to men, that the Apostle, as if forget* 
ing all the rest, does not hesitate to call it ' the 
Ministry of reconciliation/ D.W.W. (Am.Ch. Rev.) 

i Behold I send My messenger before Thy face 
who shall prepare My way before Thee' This 
prophecy has a double fulfilment. In one sense it 
has already come to pass. John the Baptist was 
the Elijah, who heralded the first coming of Christ. 
But the Apostolic ministry is the John Baptist of the 
latter day, heralding the Second Advent, and the 
coming of the Judge. 

Accordingly, the Church, to-day, dwells on the 
Christian ministry, and its great Mission, in connec- 
tion with a retrospect ^of that of the Baptist, as its 
precursor. 



90 



THIRD VTFFK IN ADVENT. 



... It is in beautiful harmony with a Sunday 
Service so forcibly setting forth the nature of the min- 
istry of the Gospel, that the Ember fasts occur in this 

week How free are many to speak ill 

of their pastors and teachers, who have never 
uttered in their behalf a single prayer ! How 
many profess a singular desire for the purity of the 
priesthood, who never fasted a day, to ask of God 
this blessing ! Yet the Church hallows Four Sea- 
sons for this end, which she bids her children spend 
in abstinence and prayer ; and, perhaps, if they were 
better kept, both the people and their pastors would 
better adorn the doctrine of God their Saviour. 
See Acts xiii. 2, xiv. 23. As a blessing is pro- 
nounced on all who strengthen the hands of their 
pastors, it is not to be forgotten that a curse is as 
plainly uttered against those who grieve and afflict 
them. Indeed, it has often been observed that evil 
hunts the man who offends against the servant of 
God. See S. Matt, xviii. 7, x. 40, 41. The Master 
regards it as done against Himself, and punishes it, 
as sacrilege. A. C. C. 

Jesus praises the greatness of the ministry of S. 
John (the Baptist). S. John was a prophet, because 
he announced the Messiah ; but he was more than 
a prophet, in that not only did he set forth that the 
Messiah would come, but in that he showed Him 
as present ; because he made Him known as the 



MINISTERS* WEEK. 



91 



Saviour and Judge of men ; because lie prepared 
His way by preaching repentance, and because 
lastly, he was himself the subject of prophecy, being 
that messenger of whom the prophet Malachi spoke, 
who was sent to prepare the ways of the Lord. 
Thus Jesus Christ sets forth, that of all those who 
were born before John the Baptist, there was no 
prophet, there was no man who was greater than he, 
none whose calling was so eminent, or had acquitted 
himself of his mission with more dignity aad fidel- 
ity. Oh happy S. John, to merit to be thus praised 
by Christ ! but woe be to us who seek only the 
praises of men ! 

But he that is least in the kingdom of QxOV* is greater 
than he. S. John Baptist in his office of forerunner, 
was above all other prophets, because he foretold 
the kingdom of God as being at hand, and beginning 
already to be established. This kingdom of heaven 
is the Church of the Messiah, the Church of Jesus 
Christ ; the Church which comes from heaven, 
and which will return to heaven, a Church which is 
heavenly in its Author, in its mysteries, in its wor- 
ship, in its sacraments, in its precepts, in its doc- 
trines. Now, if the employment of S. John Bap- 
tist, which consisted in preaching the approach of 
this celestial kingdom, and in preparing men's minds 
for its coming was so great, how much greater 
the dignity not only of those who, in this heavenly 



9:2 



THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT. 



kingdom, are destined to hold the first places in it, 
to govern it, to establish it and to ordain her minis- 
ters, but even of those who hold the lower offices in 
her, who instruct and inform Christians, who set 
forth the mysteries of God and of His Christ, to 
whom are committed the ministry of reconciliation, 
the distribution of the treasures of heavenly grace, 
on whom is bestowed the office of communicating 
the graces of the sacraments, wherewith to nourish 
themselves and true believers, and lastly, of per- 
petuating the kingdom of heaven until the end of 
the world! Oh priests, oh Christians! how great is 
our dignity, how august our happiness ! But if 
through the dignity of our position we are raised 
above S. John Baptist, what efforts should we not 
make in order to approach to his virtues ? What 
ought to be our life, our purity, our union with God, 
our insensibility to things of earth, our earnestness 
about the things of heaven ? L'A. D. 

As the Holy Scriptures (of which we spoke last 
Sunday) contain ever fresh supplies of blessed hope 
for us ; so in the sacred ministry we have a never- 
failing body of Christian priests and teachers, whose 
office and object it is to make us, by God's grace, 
meet for the inheritance of the saints in light. This 
is the special Advent lesson of to-day. Christ is 
the only one Who can bring us to heaven. God is 
the sole source of all grace. But we are to think of 



MINISTERS 1 WEEK. 



the clergy ' as ministers of Christ ' and \ as stew- 
ards of the mysteries of God.' 

It should be a true consolation to us. as we move 
on day by day amid continual hindrances and mani- 
fold temptations, to be assured that our loving 
Father has not left us without the aid of minis- 
tering servants, commissioned by Him to encourage 
and to strengthen us, to suggest to us words of good 
cheer, to remind us of the Divine promises, to feed 
us with the spiritual food convenient for us, to 
point out to our troubled hearts the way to 
escape ; and above all, to show us the excellent 
glory, the two-fold nature, the perfect love, the pre- 
cious death and endless life, the ever-open ever- 
lasting salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

. When the soul is awakened, when the 
sinner, convinced by the Holy Ghost, cries out to 
God, ' Draw nigh unto my soul and save it,' what a 
strengthening stay then is the Scriptural assurance 
that God ' hath committed ' to His ministering serv- 
ants ' the word of reconciliation — that He hath 
given power and commandment to His ministers to 
declare and pronounce to His people, being peni- 
tent, the absolution and remission of their sins ! If 
such a power is exercised in the name of God, and by 
virtue of His authority,theri, whether spoken in pub- 
lic or in private, it is fraught with that peace of God 
which passeth all understanding. Happy they who 



94 



THLRD WEEK IN ADVENT. 



have the faith to accept such a message, such an 
assurance, in the ordinary service of the Church, 
and to make this heavenly pardon their very own, 
for their furtherance and joy of faith. 

But again, the stewards of the Di- 
vine mysteries are not only able to set forth our de- 
liverance from the past sins cf which we truly re- 
pent, but they are also channels of present grace to 
us. By preaching, by administering the sacra- 
ments, by ghostly counsel and advice, by the minis- 
try of God's Holy Word, by blessing, warning, com- 
forting us — they join their spiritual work with ours. 
1 listen devoutly and the sermon edifies me. I go, 
after careful self-examination, to the Holy Table ; 
and then the bread which they break, the cup of 
blessing which they bless, become to me the Body 
and Blood of my Saviour Christ. I humble my- 
self to ask for some good words and comfortable 
words, and lo f the Word in season comes to me 
from my pastor's lips. I am still and quiet at the 
close of divine service, and the benediction comes 
like a troop of angels to garrison (the word ' keep ' 
in the apostolic blessing, means ' garrison ') my 
heart. I attend to the warning, and very soon I see 
the value of it. I weigh the words of comfort, and 
search out the secret things of my sinful life, and 
then ' the consolations of God ' are no longer small 
with me, and I have ' joy and peace in believing.' 



ministers' week. 



U5 



Ob, how many mercies are granted to us through 
— our duly-appointed ministers ! — how thoroughly 
in all these ways they are helpers of our joy ! When 
they are rightly sent on the missions of the Lord ; 
here or in distant lands, what blessing and bright- 
ness they bring with them as heralds ushering in the 
King of love and mercy ! ' How beautiful are the 
feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and 
bring glad tidings of good things ! ' 

. . . . They are to point men heavenward — 
they may, if they will, even lead them on that way 
— they may, if they will, be ascending the Hill of 
the Lord in front of them, and telling those who 
follow of the clearer light which is shining there, 
and of the celestial songs which, as they mount up 
higher, overpower the sounds of earth. And they 
would be advancing thus if the people did but pray 
for them. 'If we would be blessed through our 
people's prayers, they would be blest through us.* 
If they would hold up our hands and steady our 
feet and comfort our hearts, we should both save 
ourselves and those that hear us. If they would 
magnify our office, they would themselves be 
aided by it; they would press on with us and go 
through the gates which will soon be closed, and 
their joys and ours would be full. G. E. J. 

Learned men have observed — that the priests or 
men in holy orders are in scripture always styled 



9G 



THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT. 



* the ministers of God, the ministers of Christ, the 
ministers of the New Testament, the ministers of 
the Gospel, the ministers of Christ's Church, the 
stewards of the house and mysteries of God/ and 
the like ; but never the ministers of the people, or 
stewards and servants of men, which was done to 
preserve the honour and veneration due to God 
and His ministers. Whereas the saying and think- 
ing otherwise, hath led many into great mistakes, 
and occasioned too great a contempt of God and 
His ministers ; as if the people were their masters, 
and might choose whom they please, and give them 
what they think fit; which hath brought matters in 
the Church to great confusion, to prevent which, the 
apostle here requires all men to account of them as 
the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mys-. 
teries of God, to keep up the honour and esteem 
that is due to them; for though as they stand re- 
lated to God, and are sent by Him, they are prop- 
erly His servants and ministers, yet with relation to 
the people, they are their masters and teachers. 
The shepherd, we know, is not the servant, but the 
guide and governor of the sheep; even so spiritual 
pastors are not so much the ministers, as the mas- 
ters, leaders and overseers of the flock committed 
to their charge : and as such, God hath appointed 
them their work, and allotted them their wages, for 
He reserved the tenth part of all men's substance 



ministers' week. 



97 



to Himself, for the service of the altar, antecedent 
to all human laws about it; of which there had been 
no need, if men had paid that due obedience to the 
laws of God as they ought, so that it is not com- 
mon theft only, but sacrilege, to rob His ministers 
of it. . . . . Of the too great proneness of some 
men to judge and censure the ministers of Christ 
. . . if so eminent a saint and apostle as S. 
Paul could not escape the lash of censure, no won- 
der if inferior persons have their share in it. But 
what was St. Paul's opinion or carriage under their 
(the Corinthians') hard censure ? 1 With me (saith 
the apostle) it is a very small thing ' — 1 for I know 
nothing by myself, yet am I not thereby justified/ 
i. e., though I cannot charge myself with any great 
fault in the execution of my office, yet is not this 
the clearing or justifying of me ; only God, that 
seeth and knoweth all things must do that. 

M. H. 

* The ministers of God are His Stewards, and 
He requires of them that they should be found faith- 
ful. The only thing that a minister of God is to be 
judged about is this, whether he be faithful or no in 
the office assigned him by God ; and yet not then 
can he be finally judged by man. It is not said 
that it is required that a man should be judged 
faithful by other men, but that he be found faithful 
< — unto Him that is, Who can alone discern the ac- 



I HIED WEEK IN ADVENT. 



Hons of men, faithful in such a way as the Giver 
of all grace approves : that he does not appropriate 
to himself his Master's goods, nor as a master lay 
claim to that which is not his. but administers all 
things as the servant of God : that he does not 
suffer that which ought to be used for God's glory 
and for the benefit of man to lie waste in his hands 
through slothfulness, but that he dispenses all things 
diligently as a wise and good steward should. For 
they are His faithful ministers who sedulously in 
all things seek His glory, and watch diligently over 
the souls committed to their care : who handle and 
explain the Word of God aright and therewith com- 
fort the dejected, reprove the careless, and con- 
vince sinners of their wickedness ; who dis- 
pense the sacraments of God to the strengthening 
of the faith, and to the cleansing of the soul, of 
every one who is entrusted to their care. 

W. D. 

Almighty God speaks to us through the Holy 
Church and ministers, as well as in His Holy Word. 
He brings us now into His Church militant, that in 
it He may train and prepare us for His coming in 
the Church triumphant. This is what the services 
for this third Sunday in Advent would teach us. 
They point out to us the office of the Church, and 
of those who rule in it ; they teach us our duties 
and privileges in it ; and show us how the blessings 



MINISTERS WEEK. 



99 



of Christ's kingdom of grace are to prepare us for 
the far higher blessings of His kingdom of glory. 

The office and power of Christ's ministers is 
exactly explained to us by the word ■ steward '—one 
who in the absence of his master has received 
power to rule his house and to dispense his goods. 
His own circumstances may perhaps be no better or 
higher than those of many of his fellow servants, 
but the commission he has received entitles him to 
respect, for his Master's sake, and any want of respect 
shewn to him would surely be a want of respect 
shewn to the Master who sent them. Christ's minis- 
ters are the stewards whom He has set over ' His 
household,' the Church, now that He has withdrawn 
His visible presence. As the successors of those 
whom Christ sent in His Father's name (S. John 
xx. 21) they have power to admit men into His 
household, and to dispense to them the outward 
signs through which the riches of his grace are con- 
veyed. To them also (as we are especially taught 
at this time) is committed the care of preparing 
their fellow servants for the day when their ' Lord 
shall come and reckon with them.' We see, then, 
how in obeying the messenger we are also obeying 
the Master ; how in submitting ourselves to those 
who minister to us in His absence, we are preparing 
for the time when He shall manifest His own glori- 
ous presence. 



100 



THIKD WEEK IN ADVENT. 



The office of Christ's ministers now, like that o f 
John the Baptist before our Lord's first advent is 
4 to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.' 
Instead of setting up ourselves as judges of their 
conduct, we are told to think of the day when both 
ministers and people shall stand before the judg- 
ment seat of Christ, the former to give an account 
of their stewardship, the latter of the talents com- 
mitted to their charge. As no fault in our ministers 
can now make void their commission, so no fault of 
theirs will in that day excuse us for having wasted 
the gifts it conveyed. C. T. 

HOW TO HEAR GOSPEL PREACHERS. 
A gentleman said to Rowland Hill, * It is sixty-five 
years since I first heard you preach; and the sermon 
was well worth remembering. You remarked that 
some people were squeamish about the manners of a 
clergyman in preaching, but you then added, suppos- 
ing one is hearing a will read, expecting to receive 
a legacy, would you employ the time in criticising 
the lawyer's manner while reading it ? No : you 
would give all your interest to ascertain if anything 
were left to yourself and how much. Let that, 
then, be the way if you listen to the Gospel/ 

R. D. D 

APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION. 
Some years ago, I became acquainted with Edward 



ministers' week. 



101 



Collins, who at that time was acting as assistant to 
Mr. Robins, the Congregational preacher. There 
he was allowed to preach and pray, but neither to 
baptize nor to administer the other Sacrament. 

His ordination was often talked about ; and, up to 
a certain point, we seemed to agree very well. We 
were both convinced that a true and lawful minister 
of the Church of Christ ought to have not only an 
inward, but also a lawful outward call to the office- 
just as Aaron had, who was called of God, but pub- 
licly received the Divine Commission at the hand of 
Moses. 

No man, we argued, would dare to take upon him- 
self the office of ambassador, or magistrate, or even 
of constable (however well qualified) without a law- 
ful outward call, and a commission from the head of 
the State. Just so, no man could properly obtain 
and execute the office of a minister in the Church of 
Christ — unless he had received a commission from 
the Divine Head of the Church. 

We were both quite convinced, from the New 
Testament, that members of the Church never took 
upon themselves the office of a ministry, but received 
it from those who had the power to give it. 

Then came the question ' What method was estab- 
lished and put in practice by the Apostles in trans- 
mitting the Divine Commission which they had re- 
ceived ?' 



102 



THIBD WEEK IN ADVENT. 



Here my friend and I began to differ. Feeling 
sure, however, that the right principle was really 
though secretly rooted in his mind, I, one day, pro- 
posed the question to him in the following manner : 

' Your ordination has been put off for a long time. 
How inconvenient it must be for you.'* 

' Why, yes,' he replied, 6 it is. I wish it could be 
done soon ; I have spoken to Mr. Robins about it, 
but he says he is waiting to obtain the assistance of 
some other ministers who have promised to attend 
the ordination/ 

' Well/ said I, 6 1 wish you would let me do it at 
once for you.' 

He looked at me with surprise and exclaimed, 
4 You do it !' 

' Yes/ I said, i unless you have some objection to 
me ; if you have, I will say no more/ 

' Well, but how could you do it ?' 

' But why should I not ? Or, if you have some ob- 
jection to me, there is Mr. Croft, the saddler, or Mr. 
Smith, the miller ; they are both older men than I, 
men, too, in whose piety you have confidence, why 
not ask them to do it ? They are members of your 
congregation/ 

4 Well, but how could they do it ? 

' Why could they not ?' 

' Why not ! Because they are like yourself; they 
are not, you know, ministers ; they are not, I mean, 
ordained.' 



ministers' week. 



103 



* Indeed ! Then you think it is necessary that 
they should be ordained themselves before they could 
ordain you ?' 

' Why, yes, to be sure I do; does not everybody 
think so ?' 

' Then you hold the doctrine of the Apostolic 
Succession.' 

1 That, I certainly do not.' 

' Pardon me, but you have just declared it.' 

i How do you make that out ?' 

'You said that you believed Mr. Croft, the sad- 
dler, could not ordain you to the ministry because he 
was not ordained himself, did you not ?' 

4 Well, I believe that ; but what then ?' 

1 Why, you believe that a man cannot be ordained 
to any sacred office except by one who is already 
ordained to that office ?' 

1 Yes, that is the same as you said before.' 

4 Then, at least, you believe in the doctrine of a 
succession. That is, people, you believe, cannot or- 
dain one another at their own pleasure— there must 
be a succession of some sort ; the sacred office must 
be derived from one who holds it himself. You can- 
not ordain me, nor can I ordain you.' 

4 Well, that is right enough. Of course a man 
cannot give any spiritual office to another unless he 
himself has received power and authority so to do.' 

' Now, suppose Mr. Croft, Mr. Smith and myself 



104 



THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT. 



were to ordain a man ; would he be really ordained, 
do you think, according to God's will V 

'Why, no; I can't say he would.' 

6 Suppose, however, that we were to ordain twenty 
men, and then that they were to ordain others ; 
would these last persons be really and truly ordained 
according to the will of God ?' 

i I can't say that they would.' 

' But, suppose this were to go on for one hundred 
years ; would the length of time or the continued 
succession of the pretended ordination make any 
difference.' 

■ No; I don't see that the mere length of time adds 
any strength or validity to the pretended ordina- 
tions.' 

. ' Do you think that the last man in the series or- 
dained in this manner would be any more rightly or 
truly ordained than the first? * 

4 No; I don't see that he would. The whole 
series has nothing to hang upon ; it is all without 
any authority.' 

' Well, then, where should the chain hang ? ' 

i Where should the chain hang? Let me see/ 

' Yes, on whom should it hang, in order that all 
these persons, whom we have been supposing, should 
be really and truly ordained ? ' 

' Well, I suppose that if we were to follow that 
reasoning^ the chain ought to hang on the Apostles; 



MINISTERS 7 WEEK. 



105 



and then the first link of the series would be our 
Lord Jesus Christ Himself.' 

- To be sure ; from Him alone, the Divine Head 
of the Church must be derived all spiritual office and 
authority to minister in sacred things, from Him it 
must come by continual succession, through the 
Apostles.' 

- I never saw the thing in that light before.' 

i There, now, you must say that I am right ; you 
hold the fundamental doctrine of the Apostolic Suc- 
cession. You believe that there must be an orderly 
and regular succession^ and you believe that succession 
must begin with the Apostles. And if you search the 
New Testament you will find ample proof that this 
method of handing on the original Divine Commission 
was the one established and practiced by the 
Apostles ; and you cannot find the slightest trace of 
any other method.' 

i Stay, Stay ; you must give me time to think. If 
what you say is true, we are in the wrong; we have 
no truly ordained ministers ; our chain has nothing 
to hang upon.' 

'Weil, don't be afraid of the truth; follow it 
wherever it leads you ; never allow yourself to argue 
from consequences ; take more time to think upon 
it. But of this I am fully persuaded, that you must 
either believe that all men may ordain one another, 
just as they please or else you must believe in the 



106 



THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT. 



doctrine of the Apostolic Succession. There is 
nothing between the two.'— Iowa Churchman. 

Readings. — Gen, i. v. 14 to ii, v. 4. Isa. ii. 2-6. 
vii. 10-16. xi. 1-6. xvi. i-6. xix. 20-23. xxv - xx vi. 
xxvii. 1-23. xxxiii. 1-17. xxxv. 1-7. xxxviii. i-S. xl. 
9-11. xlv. 1-9. Ii. 1-7. lii. 7-11. Jer. xxiii. xxvi. 
1-20. Mai. ii. iii. iv. Song of Three Children 26 
and fol. vs. S. Matt. xi. 1-11. xxi. 1 = 19. xxiv. 35 
and fol. vs. xxv. 31-46. S. Mark xiii. 24-37. S. Luke 
i. 26-48. iii. 1-9. xii. 13-40. xiv. 16-25. xvii. i-io. 
xviii. 20-43. S. John i. 19-35. v. 22 and fol. vs. 
Rorn. xi. 25 and fol. vs. xiv. II Cor. iv. 1-6. 1 Thes. 
v. II Thes. ii. 1-9. Phil. iv. 4-8. 1 Tim. i. 12-18. 
Titus ii. Heb. i. Rev. xiv. 9-13. Neale's Moral 
Cone, of S. Antony; Sections 330 to 354. 358. 
Com. Place Book. 

To Priests assembled in a Synod. — Gen. xxxi. 38. 
iv. 9. II Sam. xxiii. 8. 1 Kings xx. 39, 40. Job 
xxxi. 38. Ps. lxxvii. 20. Prov. xxvii. 23. Jer. iii. 
15. x. 2i, xvii. 21. Ezek. xxxiv. 2, 5, 10, 20, 23. 
S. John xxi. 17. Acts xx. 28. 1 S. Pet. v. 2. 

To those that are to be Ordained. — Lev. xxi. 7, 17. 
Num. viii. 6. 1 Sam. xvi. 13. 1 Kings i. 39. Jer. 
vii. 29. Ecclus. xi. 1. 1 Mace. iv. 41. S. John x. 1. 

S. A. N. 

WORDS FROM THE PULPIT. 
In the South of France, during the Summer, little 
children and old and infirm poor, who are incapa- 
ble of hard work, in order to earn a livelihood, em- 



ministers' week. 



107 



ploy themselves in searching the beds of dried-up 
rivers for 4 Paillettes d'Or,' a golden dust, which 
sparkles in the sun, and which the water carries 
away as it flows. What is done by these poor 
people and little children for gold, the dust God 
has sown in these obscure rivers, we would have 
you do with those counsels and teachings which 
God has sown almost everywhere, which sparkle, 
enlighten, and inspire for a moment, then disappear, 
leaving but regret that the thought did not occur to 
collect and treasure them. 

Who is there that has not experienced at some 
time in his life those teachings so soft and gentle, 
yet sc forcible, which make the heart thrill, and 
reveal to it suddenly a woild of peace. .... 

Oh! if we had but treasured all the rays of light 
that cross our path, and sparkle but for a moment ; 
oh! if we had but engraved them on our hearts ! 
what a guide and comfort they would have been to 
us in the days of discouragement and sorrow; what 
counsels to guide our actions, w T hat consolations to 
soothe the broken heart. E. L. E. B. 

THE GREAT PHYSICIAN. 

O Tender One, O Mighty One, Who never sent away 
The sinner or the sufferer, Thou art the same to-day! 
The same in Love, the same in Power, and Thou art 
waiting still 



108 THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT. 

To heal the multitudes that come — yea, ' whosoever 
will V 

Oh, make us fervent in the quest, that we may bring 
them in, 

The weary and the wounded, and the sufferers from 
sin ; 

The stricken and the dying, let us seek them out for 
Thee, 

And lay them at Thy glorious feet, that healed they 
may be. F. R. H. 

For further Readings see Cruden's Cone, and 
Bailey's Liturgy Comp. with the Bible. The Pre- 
face to the Ordinal* 01 Form and Manner of mak- 



*By the Ordinal is meant the Form of Ordination, or set- 
ting apart certain person? to the sacred ministry of the Church. 
It is evident unto all men diligently reading the Holy Scrip- 
tures and ancient authors, that from the Apostles' time there- 
have been three orders o/ ministers in Christ'.* Church. Bish- 
ops, Priests and Deacons. In fact, this threefold order may be 
traced back to the earliest times. Under the Mosaic dispensa- 
tion there was. a High Priest, Priests and Levites, all of whom 
were invested with different degrees of authority in the 
Church. During His personal ministry — our Lord — appoint- 
ed under Himself — the twelve apostles, and under them the 
seventy disciples ; and after the Ascension the three orders 
were made complete by the addition of Deacons. Aaron was 
set apart for the service of God ; for he was not only called 
but publicly ordained by Moses (Lev. viii. I.) ; our blessed 
Saviour did not enter upon His public ministry until he was 



MINIS TEES 5 WEEK. 



109 



ing, ordaining and consecrating Bishops, Priests and 
Deacons ; and the orifices for the same. Articles 
xxiii xxiv. xxvi. xxxii. xxxvi. 

Psalms iii. iv. xi. xlix. 1. li. lxxx. lxxxv. li. ixxii. 
lxxx. lxxxv. xcviii. ex. exxx. 5th and 7th selections. 
Ps. in the Burial Office. 

Anthems. Ps. lxxxv. 1, 2. Isa. vii. 14 [xl. 9, Ix. 
1.) Iii. 7-1 1. lxxxv. i ? 2. S. Matt. 1. 23. S. John 
1. 19-23. Media Vita in the Burial Office. Hymn 
14, vs. 6, 7. Any of the Words for the Week or at 
the head of the Hymns, or any of the following 
Psalms. 

Hymns.— 1-16, 58, 59, 63, 65, 67, 163, 170, 171, 
205, 241, 270, 275, 335, 349, 391, 393, 449, 470, 
480498, 505, 507, 509, 512, 513, 515, 520, 524, 
5 2 5, 53°- 

Collects. S. Andrew, S. Thomas, S. Stephen, 

openly inaugurated by the baptism of John (Matt. iii. 16. 17 ,; 
the twelve apostles- and seventy disciples received their au- 
thority irom Chbist himself ; and the ' fulness of the Hcly 
Ghost and of wisdom,' with which the first Deacons were 
gifted, did not qualify them for even the lowest office in the 
Church until the Apostles ' had prayed and laid their hands 
on them/ and duly ' appointed them over the business.' 
(Acts vi. 3. 6.) This authority was given them by their Di- 
vine Master — as My Father hath sent me, even so send I you 
(John xx. 21; Matt, xxviii. 19. 20. Luke xxii. 29/ The 
Apostles sent others with the same commission, directing 
them, in like manner, to commit their doctrines ' to faithful 
men, who shall teach others also' (2 Tim. ii. 1); by which 



no 



THITvD WEEK IN ADVENT. 



S. John, S. Matthias, Annunciation, S. Mark, SS. 
Philip and James, S. Barnabas, S. John the Baptist 
S. Peter, SS. Simon and Jude, 25th after Trinity, 
1st and 2d Collects after the Communion Office. 
The three collects before the benediction in Institu- 
tion Office. 

* Unto every one of us is %iven grace ; according to 
the measure of the gift of Christ/ Eph. iv. 7. 
i Father of mercies, bow Thine ear, 
Attentive to our earnest prayer ; 
We plead for those who plead for Thee ; 
Successful pleaders may they be. 

How great their work, how vast their charge ! 
Do Thou their anxious souls enlarge : 
Their best acquirements are our gain ; 
We share the blessings they obtain. 

Clothe, then, with energy divine 

Their words, and let those words be Thine ; 



means a permanent succession of the ministry has been kept up. 

That the ordaining power rests only with the Bishops, or 
highest order of this ministry, is manifest from the fact that, 
during 1,500 years, no Christian Church was subject to any 
other than the government of Bishops ; and that the chief 
pastors of each Church are traced back through individuals 
of whom the first is, without exception, either an Apostle or a 
Bishop ordained by one of the Apostles. ( Trollope.) J. J. 



ministers' week. 



To them Thy sacred truth reveal, 
Suppress their fear, inflame their zeal. 

Teach them to sow the precious seed, 
Teach them Thy chosen flock to feed ; 
Teach them immortal souls to gain- 
Souls that will well reward their pain. 

Let thronging multitudes around 
Hear from their lips the joyful sound 
In humble strains Thy grace implore, 
And feel Thy new-creating power. 

Let sinners break their massive chains, 
Distressed souls forget their pains ; 
Let light through distant realms be spread 
And Sion rear her drooping head/ 



SEE ADDENDA, 
Page 788, 




112 



THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT, etc. 
OR, APPROACHMENT WEEK. 



Wl 

Re 
W] 

w 
I \ 



rnei annoys * 
5 thy joys . 
earth's noise ? 

tr tnil 7 



is His ransomed spoil ? 
a life and death ? 
th solemn breath, 
S'asareth.' E. H. 



HOME COLLECT. 
O Lord Jesus Christ without Whom we can do 
T Vhose mercy Thy presence is 
rch, with the promise of its 
m unto the end of the world, 
y servants, grace at all times, 
i and feed upon Thee, that 
is and the meditation of our 
acceptable in Thy sight, O 
Lord, our strength and our Redeemer. 

C. F. H. 



A mighty river flowing 

Through dry and herbless sand ; 
A rock its shadow throwing 

Across a weary land 



Such bit 



sea baviour now, 
113 



114 



FOURTH WEEK EN ADVENT. 



While in noon-day heat we toil, 
Through life's parched and barren soil, 
Sweet to Thy Church art Thou. 

A covert from the beating 

Of stormy wind and rain, 
The way-worn pilgrim greeting 
On some bleak wintry plain ; 
Such is Thy Cross's shade : 
There, while round God's judgments sweep, 
Calm, as in health's sweetest sleep, 

Thy faithful ones are laid. C. S. 

COMMENTS. 

The approachment of the high festival which cel- 
ebrates the gift of God's only begotten Sox, in His 
Nativity, that whosoever belie vet h in Him should 
not perish but have everlasting life ; and the ap- 
proachment of the judgment in time, compared to 
eternity, in addition to Christ's presence no^y in 
His Church, though He is unknown to the world, 
are all now used by the Church to teach her chil- 
dren the living practical lessons of the hour. 

In the Collect the Church shows us the need of a 
personal crucified Saviour in our weakness, beneath 
all the blessings we enjoy on earth, to save us in our 
temptations, to relieve us at ali times by Kis grace, 
and the desirableness of being speedily released 



APPKOACHMENT WEEK. 



115 



from this body of death through the satisfaction 
which is only to be found in Jesus Christ our 
Lord. 

In the Epistle, knowing that we have a Saviour 
in Whom we can trust, the Church would not have 
the faithful discouraged amidst the sore lets and 
hindrances to which sinful humanity, to the filling 
up of the cross, is heir. Rather with the force of 
repetition we are bid to rejoice. The Lord is at 
hand — at hand in our falls — at hand in the short- 
ness of life — at hand in our helplessness — at hand 
in the saving and consuming power and speed of 
His coming. 

In the Gospel the Church uses the ministry of S. 
John the Baptist to testify still to men the unknown 
presence of their Lord, and consequent need of 
making His way straight, in all humility, to His 
honour and glory in their personal lives if they 
would receive from Him at His coming the benedic- 
tion of salvation. C. F. H. 

On this day the three Advents of our Lord are 
distinctly brought before us. 

In the Collect we pray that by His inward spir- 
itual coming among us now, He may prepare our 
souls to meet Him. 

In the Epistle we look out for His second com- 
ing as our Judge. 



116 



FOURTH WEEK IN ADVENT, 



In the Gospel we welcome His first coming as 
our Saviour. C. T. 

We have now to close the Advent service, and 
prepare for the holy festival of our Blessed Lord's 
Nativity. On this day then, the three Advents of 
our Lord are distinctly brought before us. We 
welcome His first coming as our Saviour, (Gospel, 
vs e 26, 27)— we look out for His second coming as 
our Judge, (Epis. v. 5)— and we pray that by His 
inward spiritual coining amongst us now, He may 
prepare our souls to meet Him. (Collect). 

How entirely we depend upon this His invisible 
Advent and Presence with us, it is the object of this 
day's services to teach us. The great God of heaven 
and earth did indeed come down as at this time 
from heaven to procure for us a crown of glory at 
His second appearing, but He will give it only to 
those who so run that they may obtain it ; therefore 
does the Collect liken us to men who run a race 
to obtain an earthly crown. We know how dili- 
gently they would put away everything that might 
hinder their progress, and so prevent them from 
obtaining the wished-for prize ; with equal diligence 
should we put away those sins and wickednesses 
which hinder us in our Christian course, and may 
altogether prevent us from obtaining the salvation 
which our blessed Saviour holds out to us. We 



APPKOACHMENT WEEK. 



117 



know also how careful the runners would be to keep 
their bodies in temperance and subjection, always in 
a fit state for action should their time of trial come 
suddenly or unexpectedly. (See i Cor. ix. 24)— so 
does the Epistle enjoin upon us the virtue of mod- 
eration, bidding us remember that 1 the Lord is at 
hand ;' it teaches us that while we rejoice in the 
prospect of the prize, and in the Lord who offers 
it, we must be careful to keep our hopes and affec- 
tions fixed upon it, not letting them be entangled 
with earthly things, but standing as those who ' wait 
for the coming of their Lord.' We know, however, 
how fruitless would have been all their precautions, 
had not the runners had bodily strength given them 
of God; so neither can "we win our race, unless God 
be with us by His mighty power to succour and de- 
fend us. It is to obtain this mighty aid, that we 
have been lately led to God's appointed means of 
grace. Prayers, and Scriptures, and Holy Sacra- 
ments, are intended to secure to our souls the invis- 
ible though powerful advent and presence of. Christ. 
Unless, therefore, by our devout use of them, we 
have gained this blessing, they will be unprofitable 
to us ; as we can neither hope rightly to commemo- 
rate His first, nor joyfully to hail His second advent. 

C. T. 

In other parts of Scripture the prospect of Christ's 
coming is made a reason for solemn fear and awe, 



118 



FOURTH WEEK IN ADVENT. 



and a call for watching and prayer but in the verses 
connected with verse 4 of the Epistle, a distinct 
view of the Christian character is set before us, and 
distinct duties urged on us. The Lord is at hand ' 
—and what then ? Why, if so, we must ' rejoice in 
the Lord,' we must be examples of 'moderation/ 
we must be 'careful for nothing/ we must seek from 
God's bounty, and not from man, whatever we 
need ; we must abound in ' thanksgiving/ and we 
must cherish, or rather we must pray for, and we 
shall receive from above, ' the peace of God which 
passeth all understanding/ to keep our hearts and 
minds through 'Christ Jesus/ 

This shews us that the thought of Christ's com- 
ing not only leads to fear, but to a calm and cheer- 
ful frame of mind. And it is the more remarkable 
that S. Paul should have given us this view of what 
a Christian should be, because he was himself a man 
of toil, a man combating with powers unseen, and a 
spectacle for men and angels. We know that S. 
Paul could do great things ; could suffer and con- 
fess, could be high, and could be low ; and yet he 
that laboured more abundantly than all his brethren, 
is also a pattern of simplicity, meekness, cheerful- 
ness, thankfulness and serenity of mind. These 
tempers especially belonged to S. Paul, and are 
much insisted on in his Epistles. For instance, 
1 mind not high things, but condescend to men of 



APPKOACHMENT WEEK. 



119 



low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. . . 

. . . • Provide things honest in the sight of all 
men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live 
peaceably with all men ' (Rom. xii. 16-18). He 
enjoins that ' the aged men be sober, grave, tem- 
perate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience. The 
aged women likewise, not false accusers, not given to 
much wine, teachers of good things ; that they may 
teach the young women to be sober, to love their 
husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, 
chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their 
own husbands.' And it is remarkable that he ends 
this exhortation with urging the same reason as is 
given in the verse after the text : - Looking for that 
blessed hope, and the glorious appearance of our 
great God and Saviour Jesus Christ.' (Tit. ii. 
2-13.) The Lord is at hand ; this is not your rest 
— this is not your dwelling-place. Act, then, as 
persons who are in a dwelling not their own ; who 
are not in their own house ; who have not their own 
goods and furniture about them ; who accordingly 
make shift and put up with anything that comes to 
hand, and do not make a point of things being the 
best of their kind. ' But this I say, brethren, the 
time is short/ What matters it what we eat, what 
we drink, how we are clothed, where we lodge, what 
is thought of us, what becomes of us, since we are 
not at home? It is felt every day, as regards this 



120 



FOTDETH WEEK IN ADVENT. 



world, that when we leave home for a while, we are 
unsettled. This, then, is the kind of feeling which 
a belief in Christ's coming may create within us- 
It is not worth while establishing ourselves here ; it 
is not worth while spending time and thoughts en 
such an object. We shall hardly have got settled 
when we shall have to move. S. Paul says, • Be 
careful for nothing ; ' and S. Peter, ' casting all your 
care upon Him' (i Pet. v. 7): or as Christ, Him- 
self, 4 Take no thought,' or care, ' for the morrow, 
for the morrow, will take care for the things of itself/ 
(Matt. vi. 34). This, of course, is a state of mind 
which directly follows on the belief that ' the Lord 
is at hand/ Who would care for any loss or gain 
to-day, if he knew for certain that Christ would 
show Himself to-morrow ? No one. Well, then, 
the true Christian feels as he would feel, did he 
know for certain that Christ would be here to-mor 
row. For he knows for certain that at least Christ 
will come to him when he dies ; and faith makes the 
time of his death present, just as if that distant 
day, if it be distant, were past and over. One time 
or another Christ will come for certain ; and when 
He once has come, it matters not what length of 
time there was before He came ; however long that 
period may be, it has an end. Judgment is coming, 
whether it comes sooner or later, and the Christian 
realises, that it is coming; that is, time does not 



APPSOACHMENT WEEK. 



121 



enter into his calculation, or interfere with his view 
of things. When men expect to live out their plans 
and projects, then they care for them ; when they 
know they will come to naught, they give them over 
or become indifferent to them. 

So, again, it is with all forebodings, anxieties, mor- 
tifications, griefs, resentments of this world. ' The 
time is short.' It has sometimes been well suggest- 
ed, as a mode of calming the mind when set upon 
an object, or much vexed or angered at some occur- 
rence, what will you feel about all this a year hence ? 
It is very plain that matters which agitate us most ex- 
tremely now, will then interest us not at all ; that 
objects about which we have intense hope and fear 
now, will then be to us nothing more than things 
which happen at the other end of the earth. So 
will it be with all human hopes, fears, pleasures, 
pains, jealousies, disappointments, successes, when 
the last day is come. They will have no life in 
them ; they will be as the faded flowers of a bouquet, 
which do but mock us. Or, when we lie on the 
bed of death, what will it avail us to have been rich, 
or great, or foitunate, or honoured, or influential ? 
All things will then be vanity. Well, what this 
will be understood by all to be then, such is it felt 
to be by the Christian now. He looks at things 
as he then will look at them, with an uninter- 
ested and dispassionate eye, and is neither pained 



122 



FOURTH WEEK IN ADVENT. 



much nor pleased much at the accidents of life, be- 
cause they are accidents. C. S. 

He is at hand Who will fulfil all your joy. The 
Lord is at hand. This is the watchword of the 
Christian at all times, in the midst of all trials ; and 
thus S. Peter exhorts the converts to whom his 
epistles were addressed, The end of all things is 
at hand : be ye therefore sober, and wateh unto pray- 
er. Thus he strengthens them to endure trial — 
thus he comforts them in their afflictions ; these sor- 
rows will not endure forever; and there is One near 
Who will support you under all trials. For these 
w r ords is at hand refer not only to the nearness of the 
time of our Lord's coming, but also to His near- 
ness of place to us at all times. The Lord is at 
ha?id. 

(1) By His invisible presence and power to 
strengthen our weakness, and to support us in our 
feebleness for He is not far from every one of us. 

(2) He is ever near to His Church by virtue of 
His sacramental presence. 

(3) He is ever near to His faithful people by His 
indwelling, and sanctifying, and peace-producing 
Spirit, for the Lord is near unto all them that call 
upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth. 

(4) He is nigh in judgment, to give to every man 
according to His works, according to His own de- 



APPROACHMENT WEEK. 



]23 



claration, Behold I come quickly ; and My reward is 
with M e , to give to every man according as His work 
shall be. With this remembrance should all our de- 
signs, thoughts and works be conceived and done. 

What can dispose the Christian to cultivate this 
temper of moderation, of meekness, more than the 
thought, that He Who whilst on earth was the most 
perfect pattern of gentleness and meekness of spirit 
—He Whose temper we are to imitate, and in Whose 
steps we are to walk — is nigh us at all times. This 
truth, that He is at all times very near to us, is most 
salutary for us to remember, since it brings to our 
recollection the fact of our membership in Christ, 
and our hope of being conformed to His image. 
This should strengthen our faith, should quench 
in us all sinful and vain desires, and give us power 
to overcome all temptations. 

In addition to the meaning which these words 
now bear, at the time when S. Paul wrote they 
doubtless bore one other meaning. To the Chris- 
tians suffering persecution under the hand of their 
countrymen, the Jews, these words declared that the 
Lord was on hand to remove the sufferings under 
which they then groaned. He was at hand to take 
away the power of the persecutor by the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem. This judgment of God against 
the nation of the Jews is what is meant in many 
places of Holy Scripture by the declaration that He 
is nigh at hand. 



124 



FOURTH WEEK IN ADVENT. 



1 In respect of His divine presence and powers, 
by which He reigns even in the midst of His 
enemies. 

2 By the efficacy of His sanctifying spirit, by 
which He dwells in the hearts of His faithful 
children. 

3 In respect to that judgment day which is in- 
deed at hand to all mankind. 

. . . . The Author and Finisher of the Faith, 
the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last (is) 
the beginning of all spiritual life, and the end of all 
man's desires. 

This completes the lessons which the Church 
services impress upon us during the Advent season. 
Two Sundays ago we heard of the help and blessing 
of Holy Scripture ; last Sunday of the ministry and 
ordinances of the Church ; to-day, of the crowning 
blessing of all, the presence of the Lord Himself. 
All alike are intended to fit us for putting on the 
Lord Jesus Christ now, and meeting Him here- 
after ; but it is only through His presence among 
us by His Spirit that we can profit by His outward 
ordinances, by the Scriptures, by preaching, by 
united worship, by His Sacraments, by the various 
ministrations of His Church. Hiches Sermons, 

W. D. 



God sent His Son to deliver us, but ere He sent 



APPBOACHMENT WEEK. 



125 



Him, He gave us the promise of His coming. That 
promise was given in order to awaken the blessed 
principle of hope within the human heart. 

How dreary is life where hope is not ! How 
wearisome is labour if there is no hope of reward ! 
God desires that this principle shall be developed 
within man's breast, in order to rouse him to ener- 
gies for want of which he must otherwise sink into 
a degradation without end. 

It was not for want of power on God's part that 
He left the great enemy to hold so long his boast- 
ful dominion over mankind. It was in accordance 
with the moral requirements of man's nature that 
the divine wisdom ordained such a discipline for 
the human race. 

Man could not otherwise have come to realize the 
greatness of the power with which he had to con- 
tend ; neither could he, but for this, have learnt the 
impossibility of resisting that great enemy in his own 
strength. The law became to man a teacher of his 
infirmity. Thus was the law to develop in man's 
heart the desire of Christ. 

But the benefits of Christ's coming were made 
contingent upon certain acts of man. Hope fails 
of ennobling the human heart if it be an idle expec- 
tation. It must lead to effort. Idle expectation 
deadens, hope develops, the power of life. 

The tendency of the human heart always is to 



126 



FOURTH WEEK IN ADVENT. 



relapse into dulness and leave the service of God 
as if it were impossible ; but in the ages before 
Christ there were those of whom the world was 
not worthy, who died in faith, having resisted the 
solicitations of this present life because of the hope 
which was set before them. 

In answer to their patient correspondence with 
His love, God gave to these devout souls promises, 
which were ever becoming clearer, by which to ap- 
prehend the glory of the Messenger of the Cove- 
nant whom He would send. The Prophets who 
announced His coming had to be prepared for that 
coming which they announced, not only by the 
self-discipline of their mysterious lives of holy sep- 
arateness, but also, generally, by yielding up their 
own lives as a seal of their testimony to the coming 
Messiah. 

As they spoke of God's promised redemption to 
cheer man's heart, they spoke also of God's unal- 
terable justice to awaken man's conscience. 

The great forerunner crowned the series, as he 
came preaching repentance because the kingdom of 
heaven was at hand. 

So necessary was it, yea, so careful was God to 
prepare the way for His dear Son to come into the 
world at first. Are we to think that less prepara- 
tion is necessary for us if we would meet Christ 
safely now ? Certainly not. Indeed, tne whole 



APPBOACHMENT WEEK. 



127 



purpose of Advent is to prepare to celebrate His 
coming, and the reason for its institution is that we 
cannot turn suddenly from the thoughts of the 
world to welcome Christ. If we would celebrate 
His coming with any becoming reverence, we must 
prepare for it with deep searchings of heart. 

As Advent passes away, I must consider well 
with myself whether this season has helped me thus 
to prepare. ' To them that look for Him He shall 
appear the second time without sin unto salvation ' 
(Heb. ix. 28). Let us therefore labour that we may 
enter into that rest ! R. M. B. 

The coming of Christ has been the desire of all 
mankind ever since Adam was for his sin banished 
from paradise. All nature felt the bruise of Adam's 
fall ; the whole creation lay groaning and travailing 
in pain after sin had brought death into the world. 
The best of men felt the sore disease, and groaned 
within themselves for redemption (Rom. viii.) Mis- 
erable creatures desired a merciful deliverance ; but 
justice stood in the way of mercy, and must have 
satisfaction made to it, before mercy could take 
place. The whole creation could not make atone- 
ment to infinite justice, for created things could not 
make atonement to their Creator. 

That righteousness and peace might embrace, that 
infinite justice and infinite mercy might be reconciled, 
the Lord Himself took upon Him our nature : He 



128 



FOURTH WEEK IN ADVENT. 



became Immanuel, that is, God with us, God and 
man in one person ; man to suffer, and God to 
satisfy, and to make that suffering of such worth 
that it could atone for the sins of the whole world. 
The first promise of this Divine Redeemer and His 
redemption was made in Paradise, when it was said, 
i The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's 
head ' ; and from that time till He came to fulfil the 
promise, His coming was the desire of all the faithful. 

C. S. 

This is the record of John, when the Jews sent 
Priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, who 
art thou ? We have here the second testimony 
which S. John the Baptist gave to the truth of 
Christ's mission. The first was to his own disci- 
ples and to the crowds who had come to this bapt- 
ism. The second witness which he bore was to the 
Priests and Levites j and the same truth which he 
had already declared to the poor he here confessed 
to the learned and the powerful. The whole nation 
at that time expected the coming of the Messiah ; 
the sceptre was already all but departed from 
Judah, and the weeks predicted by Daniel were 
ending. And so when the Baptist came baptizing 
and preaching all men ?nused in their hearts of John, 
whether he were the Christ or not. Then the coun- 
cil of the Jewish Church and nation deputed men 



APPBOACHMENT "WEEK. 



129 



chosen from the Priests and Levites, able to test 
the truth of John's testimony. And that perpetual 
witness which he gave by his whole life to Christ, 
he bears now in formal testimony to those who had 
authority to examine him, giving to these ambassa- 
dors his solemn witness that Christ is the Eternal 
Word, the only begotten Son of the Father, now 
made flesh for the salvation of mankind. 

These Priests and Lewies w r ere not sent as some 
have supposed, from envy of Christ, and from 
a desire to exalt the forerunner at the expense of 
the Messiah, for Christ was not yet manifested, but 
was still one Whom they knew T not. The priestly 
lineage of John, the character of his life of auster- 
ity, his taking upon himself to baptize, together 
with the crowds who flocked to his teaching, marked 
him out as no common man, and made this inquiry 
necessary. The authorities at Jerusalem, indeed, 
were not likely to be greatly impressed in his favour. 
His denunciation of the Pharisees who came to his 
baptism, his life which rebuked their self-indul- 
gence, his popularity, and his claim to teach with- 
out reference to their authority, would not make him 
a favorite of the priests and rulers. The testi- 
mony of John was not then given of his own ac- 
cord, like his former witness, but was his answer to 
the examination of those who, by their station and 
knowledge, were best able to ascertain the truth of 



130 



FOrUTH WEEK EH ADVENT. 



what he said, and its accordance with the law and 
the prophets. 

The coming to John, however, of the deputation 
from Jerusalem whilst more came to investigate the 
truth of Christ's mission, is an instance of the 
blindness of the whole nation. The Baptist was 
not sprung from the tribe of Judah and the house 
of David, nor were his works such as afterwards 
Christ wrought; yet to Him who was born in 
Bethlehem, Who came of the lineage of David, and 
Who did signs and wonders such as no other man 
did, they sent no mission. That they sent at all is 
a proof that they knew the time predicted was at 
hand; that they sent not to Christ is a testimony 
to their own wilfulness and self-blindness. And 
the question, Who art thou ? was not as to John's 
parentage — that they knew — but had reference to 
his office, to the source and dignity of his mission, 
and was an inquiry as to whether he had received 
any special gift from God for his work ; tempting 
him, it may be, intentionally, but at least encour- 
aging him to declare himself to be the Christ, and 
to exalt himself through the favour of the multi- 
tude. He who was no reed swayed hither and thither 
by men's applause or hatred was proof against 
the temptation. (How different from those who 
draw to themselves and away from Christ. C. F. H.) 
And lie eonfessed and denied not ; but eonfessed I am 
not the Christ. 



APPEOAGHMENT WEEK. 



131 



The Jews, who judged by outward appearance, 
had many reasons for their sympathy with John 
and their supposition that he might be the Messiah, 
since there were many marks of greatness about 
him, such as his illustrious descent, as the son of 
one of the chief priests, his hard self-discipline, and 
his contempt of the world. On the other hand, 
when our Blessed Lord came teaching, they were 
scandalized at the lowliness of His birth — the car- 
penters son — and His ordinary way of living. (Let 
us remember that Christ was to become poor for 
our sake, and as He takes pains to declare in His 
Holy Gospel is to be found to-day in treating the 
poor. Let the Gospel which the Church now ap- 
points serve as a fitting introduction of us to the 
manger-cradled child that we may find Christ not 
only in the poverty of his own greatness but also in 
the poverty of the present poor among His brethren. 
C. F. H.) 

There standeth one among you Whom you know 
not. John seems to say, However imperfect this 
my baptism is, there is One even now amongst you 
Who will make it efficacious to the regeneration of 
the soul. He is among you; 

(i) As to His human nature, as one of your- 
selves, as He took upon Him the form of man and 
became the servant of men, and is among you as 
once He sat in the midst of the doctors in the 
temple. 



132 



FOUETH WEEK IN ADYENT. 



(2) As to the divine nature His is among you, for 
He filleth all in all, and is very nigh to every one. 

(3) He is among you as the Light which lighteth 
every man, and as the Word of Wisdom in the heart 
of all his people. 

(3) Among you as the Mediator between man and 
God, and seeking to draw all men to God. 

(5) Not as the baptist in the desert, but in the 
midst of the cities of men. 

(6) Among you, all for the benefit of all, as the true 
Tree of life in. the midst of the garden of this world 
for the life and the healing of all. 

Him, however, ye know not because you look only 
with the eye of the flesh, and therefore see in Him 
only the carpenters son, and not the true Messiah. 
For When our Blessed Lord was here in the flesh, 
He was but visible as to His body, and by those 
works which bore testimony to him, which, however, 
ought to have convinced those who saw them of the 
truth of His words. In His eternal majesty and 
glory He was truly invisible. And so coming oth- 
erwise than men expected, they would not behold in 
Him the Incarnate God. 

At all times men see not Christ unless He comes 
in the way which they in their pride and self-suffi- 
ciency think fitting. W. D. 

' Rejoice in the Lord always: again, / say rejoice* 



APPRO ACHMENT WEEK. 



133 



A text of rejoicing against the time of rejoicing ; 
whereby the Church intimates how we should spend 
our Christmas ensuing; not in gluttony and drunk- 
enness, in chambering and wantonness, doing the 
devil more service in twelve days than in all the 
twelve month: but rather in psalms and hymns, and 
spiritual songs making melody into our hearts unto 
the Lord: I say the Church allotting this Scripture 
for this Sunday, teaching us how this holy time 
should be well employed, not in unholiness and mad 
merriments among lords of misrule, but in good 
offices of religion, as it becomes the servants of 
Him Who is the God of order ; observing this fes- 
tival in honour of Jesus, not Bacchus ; always prais- 
ing our heavenly Father, in loving us so well as to 
send his Son to save his servants : and lest we 

should err in our spiritual revels It 

is an old rule in philosophy, and it h true in divin- 
ity, that affections of the mind, as anger, fear, de- 
light, etc., are in their own nature neither absolutely 
good, nor simply evil, but either good or bad, as 
their object is good or bad. As for example, to be 
angry, or not angry, is indifferent : ' Be ye angry 
and sin not,' saith Paul ; there is a good anger, 
i Whosoever is angry with his brother unadvisedly 
(saith Christ) is in danger of judgment ; ' there is a 
bad anger. St. Matt. x. 28. 4 Fear not them that 
kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul ; but 



134 



FOTTKTH WEEK EN ADVENT. 



rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul 
and body in hell/ So likewise to rejoice, or not to 
rejoice, in itself is not absolutely disgraceful, nor 
altogether commendable, we may not rejoice in the 
toys of the world, in forwardness, in doing evil, 

saith Solomon Neither in vices nor 

riches, saith Bernard : 'Woe be to you that thus 
laugh, for ye shall wail and weep/ but we may de- 
light in the Lord, saith David. Rejoice in Christ, 
saith Mary; then our joy is good, when as our joy's 
object is good, yea God; as Paul here; ' rejoice in 
the Lord/ 

As sorrow is a straitening of the heart, for some 
ill; so is joy the dilating of the heart for some good, 
either in possession or expectation. Now Christ 
is our chief good; as being Author of all grace in 
this life, and all glory in the next; and therefore we 
must chiefly rejoice in Him, and in other things only 
for Him : in Him as the Donor of every good and 
perfect gift : for Him, that is, according to His will, 
as the phrase is used, i Cor. vii. 39. • If her hus- 
band be dead, she is at liberty to marry with whom 
she will, only in the Lord/ 

So then we may rejoice in other things ; for the 
Lord as in the Lord ; we may rejoice in ourselves, 
as being the Lord's; and in others, because they 
rejoice in the Lord, Psalm xvi. 3. c All my delight is 
upon the saints that are in the earth, and upon such 



APPRO ACH1SIENT WEEK. 



135 



as excel in virtue/ so likewise we may rejoice with 
the wife of our youth, and disport ourselves in good 
company; we may make Christmas pies, and harvest 
dinners; in a word: rejoice in everything which may 
further our spiritual rejoicing in the Lord. But 
6 whether we eat or drink, or whatsoever we do else, 
all must be done to the honour and glory of God. 
Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice. 

Yea but Christ, Matt, v., 4 t Blessed are they 
that .mourn,' Luke vi. 21. 6 Blessed are they that 
weep/ This rejoicing is not contrary to that 
mourning, for such as mourn are blessed in being 
comforted, and comforted by rejoicing in the Lord. 
' Rejoice,' saith Christ, ' in that day and be glad, 
when any shall hate you for my sake/ the which the 
apostles accordingly fulfilled. Acts v. 41. ' They 
departed from the council, rejoicing that they were 
counted worthy to suffer rebuke for His Name.' 

. . . . No sin, nor sorrow must hinder our 
spiritual rejoicing. For in all our adversity God is 
ever at hand; not only nigh in His majesty, though 
doubtless He be not far from every one of us, but 
also nigh in His mercy. Psalms cxlv. 18. ' The 
Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him. A 
very present help in trouble/ Yea, the Lord's 
second coming is at hand, when He shall judge and 
revenge our cause, rewarding us with eternal happi- 
ness, and punishing our adversaries with eternal fire; 



136 



FOtT.TE WEEK En" ADVENT . 



and therefore rejoice always in all things : I say, 
rejoice in the Lord, for we cannot always rejoice in 
the things of this life. J. B. 

A few more hours and then the season cf Advent 
will be passed away. We are watching to-day for 
the birth of Jesus. . What if we were as quick expect- 
ing His second coming ? Has the season of Advent 
prepared me for that great day ? My estimate of 
His first coming may be measured by my prepara- 
tion for His second coming. How great a work is 
that which none but the Son of God could do ? 

The Son of God coming to be my Saviour ! How 
great a work is that which none but the Son of God 
could do ! How great must be my effort if I would 
rise up to the demands of so great a work ! 

He must be welcomed with gratitude ; He must be 
welcomed with penitence ; He must be welcomed 
with the homage due to His divine glory ; He must 
be welcomed with the love which a heart can give 
that is conformed to His image. 

I cannot welcome Him as He deserves, save by 
the power of the Holy Spirit which He gives. The 
same blessed Spirit by Whom He took upon Him- 
self our nature must strengthen me to acknowledge 
Him. In vain would He come to earth unless by 
the power of the Holy Ghost the heart of men 
were prepared. Without this power we can neither 



APPSOACHMENT WEEK. 



137 



know Him nor His work ; for His Person abides 
with the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, 
and His work of salvation consists in gathering the 
redeemed into union with Himself by the power of 
the same blessed Spirit. * . . , How many 
make Christmas a season of rejoicing, and yet how 
few really rejoice because of the Incarnation ! O 
let me be careful not to join with the world in the 
act of joy, unless I am joining with the heavenly 
host in praise for that which is the cause of the joy, 

This is a day of rejoicing for all who are pre- 
pared to receive Jesus ; but if we are not prepared 
to receive him it is a day rather of terrors, the day 
wherein He comes. 

If I can welcome Him as a judge, I can rejoice in 
Him as a Saviour, but my knowledge of Him as a 
Saviour can be no true knowledge unless it fits me to 
abide the day of His manifestation in judgment. 

R. M. B. 

6 Now gird your patient loins again, 

Your wasting torches trim ! 
The chief of the sons of men 

Who will not welcome Him ? 
Rejoice the hour is near ! at length 

The Journeyer on His way- 
Comes in the greatness of His strength, 

To keep His holy day. 



133 



FOUETH WEEK EN ADVENT. 



With cheerful hymns and garlands sweet 

Along His wintry road, 
Conduct Him to His green retreat, 

His shelter'd safe abode ; 
Fill all His court with sacred songs, 

And from the temple wall 
Wave verdure o'er the joyful throngs 

That crowd His festival 

And still more greenly in the mind 

Store up the hopes sublime 
Which then were born of all mankind 

So blessed was the time ; 
And underneath these hallowed eaves 

A Saviour will be born 
In every heart that Him receives 

On this triumphal morn.' 

W. C. 

A BROKEN BARGAIN AND THE LAST CALL. 

The following anecdote, almost word for word has 
been recorded as related by the Rev. W. M. Hay 
Aitken: 

i I remember in the parish where I spent part 
of my boyhood and early youth, which was in a re- 
mote part of Cornwall, there was a young miner, a 
mere boy of fourteen, brought to a knowledge of the 
truth, and he knew there was not a single person in 
his family who would not oppose and persecute him, 



APPRO ACHMENT WEEK. 



139 



and we said one to another, * Ah ! John will never 
stand firm.' But John did stand firm, and as years 
rolled on became a staunch young Christian, earnest, 
devoted, and resolute. John's father was a godless, 
drunken, worldly, good-for-nothing man, and John's 
great sorrow was about his father, and he prayed for 
him day by day. 

■ It happened one Saturday afternoon that his 
father was digging in a field on the hillside, and he 
said, ' John, I want you to give me a hand with this 
bit of a fence which I am making round the field/ 

'Well,' said John, 4 we miners generally like to 
have Saturday afternoon as a holiday, and I was in- 
tending to go down to the vicarage to meet some 
other young men and read the Bible.' 

6 Oh, I wish you would not go this afternoon, as 
I want to get this fence done.' 

- Well, I don't mind striking a bargain with you. I 
will stay at home and work with you like a Trojan 
at that fence if you will go with me to the prayer- 
meeting to-morrow.' * 

1 I don't mind if I do,' said the father, 4 if you 
will work with me this afternoon.' 

* So they shook hands upon it in due form, and 
the bargain was made. John worked right hard all 
the afternoon, and the fence was finished. The next 
day came, and John said to his father, ' You remem- 
ber your promise, father.' 



140 



FOURTH WEEK IN ADVENT. 



6 What do you mean, John?' 

4 About the prayer-meeting, you know; you said 
you would go to the prayer-meeting ; don't you re* 
member ?' 

6 Well I believe I did say something of the kind/ 

6 You'll be a man of your word won't ^ou?' 

' Oh, I suppose I must be a man of my word.' 

6 So he put on his hat and coat, and they walked 
together down the hillside until they came to the 
door of the school-room, and just as John was turn- 
ing the handle he looked over his shoulder and 
found his father walking away. 

6 Father,' he said, 'where are you going ?' 

6 1 don't think I shall go in to-night,' he replied. 

' But you promised you know.' 

• Well, I don't think I'll go in to-night/ 

4 Father,' said John, with tears in his eyes, 'for 
God's sake, my dear father, do come in/ 

6 No, not to-night; anothertime/ 

i And so saying, he walked away down the hill, 
and poor John went in to we^p and pray. 

i It was only the next day, or perhaps two days 
afterward, I was standing in the vicarage garden, 
when suddenly I felt something like an earthquake; 
the ground seemed to vibrate under me, and then I 
heard a deep and terrible report. 

' 1 looked out toward the blue waters of the At- 
lantic Ocean and saw what appeared to be a huge 



APPEOACHMENT WEEK. 



Ill 



waterspout in the distance, rising up to the clouds. 
I ran in to my father, and said, 6 Something has 
happened: I don't know what it is.' 

' He came out of the house, and we took a stroll 
down toward the sea. We had not gone far before 
a breathless messenger came running up to say the 
boiler down at P— — house had exploded, and poor 
So-and-so, naming John's father, who was working 
outside the boiler-house, had been blown into eter- 
nity. He turned a deaf ear to that last tender call 
and the Lord never gave him another/ 

Readings.' — Isa. xi. 1-9. xxiv. xxx. xxxii. xxxii'. 
xxxv. xl. xlii. Joel ii. iii. Nah. i. 2-8. Mai. iii. 
1-6. Zech. iii. Matt. i. iii. xiii. Mark viii. xii. 
xiii. Luke i. ii. iii. vii. xvii. xviii. xix. John i. 
Rom. i. 1 Cor. i. iv. xv. Phil. iv. 1 Tim. iv, 
Heb. i. v. x. xi. Gal. iii. iv. Eph. v. 13-21. See 
also Bible Common Place Book. 

Of the misery of mankind in the First Book of 
Homilies. Articles ix. xvii. 

What must we lay aside if we would run our 
Christian race? Heb. xi, i. I Pet. ii. 1. Job. xi. 
14. Phil. iii. 13, 14. I Cor. ix. 24-27. James i. 21. 
Dan. iv. 27. II Tim. ii. 19. S. T. 



142 FOURTH WEEK EH ADVENT. 

APPROACHMEXT TO GOD. 

When the heart is heavy and we suffer from de- 
pression or disappointment how thankful we should 
be that we still have work and prayer left to com- 
fort us. Occupation forcibly diverts the mind : 
prayer sweetly soothes the soul, 

( Then," writes one who had been sorely tried, 1 I 
tell my griefs to God, as a child tells its troubles to 
its mother ; and when I have told all I am com- 
forted, and repeat with a lightened heart the prayer 
of S. Francoise de Chantal (who certainly suffered 
more than L) 1 Thy will be done for ever and ever, 
O Lord, without if or but' and then for fear a 
murmur may arise in my heart, I return immedi- 
ately to my work, and become absorbed in occupa- 
tion. E. L. E. B. 

1 BEHOLD THE BRIDEGROOM COMETH.' 

S. Matt, xxv. 6. 

Rejoice, rejoice, believers ! 

And let your lights appear; 
The evening is advancing, 

And darker night is near. 
The Bridegroom is arising, 

And soon He will draw nigh; 
Up! pray, and watch, and wrestle' 

At midnight comes the cry. 



APPROACH^BENT WEEK. 



143 



See that your lamps are burning, 

Replenish them with oil; 
Look now for your salvation, 

The end of sin and toil. 
The watchers on the mountain . 

Proclaim the Bridegroom near, 
Go meet Him as He cometh, 

With alleluias clear. 

O wise and holy virgins, 

Now raise your voices higher, 
Till in your jubilations 

Ye meet the angel choir. 
The marriage-feast is waiting 

The gates wide open stand; 
Up, up, ye heirs of glory ! 

The Bridegroom is at hand. 

Psalms, v. viii. ix. x. xi. xix. 1. li.lxxii. lxxx. .xciii. 
xciv. xcvi. xcvii. xcviii. cxxx. cxlv. Psalm in the 
Office for the Burial of the Dead. Ps. xxxv. i, 2. 
1. 3. xcviii. 9. cii. 26. Isa. xi. 1-10. xxxv. 5, 6. xl. 
1-10. 

Anthems, lxi. 1. Hag. ii, 7. S. Matt. vi. 10. 
xi. 28. xxi. 9. xxii. 44. xxv. 6, 31. and following 
verses. Mark t, 3. xi. 10. xxiii. 33. S. Luke xix. 
38. S. John xii. 13, 29, 30. Phil. iv. 4, 5, 6, 7. 
Rev. 1. 7. iii. 20. xxii. 20. Hymn 14. last verse 



1U 



FOURTH WEEK IN ADVENT. 



Magnificat. Media Vita in the Burial Office. Any 
text in the Words for the Week. 

Hymns i. 4. 5- 13-28. 30. 31. 39. 50. 54. 55. 58. 
59. 61. 63. 65- 67. 72. 87. 9 r. 93. 97. 137. 152. 162. 
165. 171. 183. 207. 221. 225. 232. 238. 259. 286. 289. 
2 97- 33 1 - 334. 34o. 35 r- 352. 355- 362. 385. 386. 387. 
39i- 393- 399- 424. 472. 476. 477- 479- 480. 483-505- 
5°7- 5°9- 5 12 - 

Collects. S. Thomas. S. John. Annunciation. 
6th after Epiphany. 2d for Ash Wednesday, nth, 
14th, 24th and 25th after Trinity. 1st after Com- 
munion Office. 

// any man sin we have an Advocate with the 
Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous, i John ii. 1 . 
Approach, my soul, the mercy-seat, 

Where Jesus answers prayer ; 
There humbly fall before His. feet, 
For none can perish there. 

Thy promise is my only plea, 

With this I venture nigh ; 
Thou callest burden'd souls to Thee, 

And such, O Lord, am I. 

Bow'd down beneath a load of sin, 

By Satan sorely press'd, 
By war without, and fear within, 

I come to Thee for rest. 



&PPBOACHMENT WEEK. 



145 



Be thou my shield and hiding-place ; 

That, siielter'd near Thy side, 
I may my fierce accuser face, 

And tell him thou hast died ! 

O wondrous love, to bleed and die, 
To bear the cross and shame, 

That guilty sinners, such as I, 
Might plead Thy gracious Name. 




U6 



CHRISTMAS*, etc., OR NATIVITY WEEK. 

CHRIST'S BIRTH. 
God will reveal Himself to man. 
In awful majesty and might, 
In naming and consuming light ! 

Come and see 
An Infant on His mother's knee. 

In this dear Child at rest 

God is made manifest. 

* Mass was a word for festival, of Saxon origin, whence 
our Christmas. (Todd) Bp. B. 

The institution of the festival of the Nativity has been 
derived by some from the Jewish Feast of Dedication, which 
Judas Maccabaeus ordained after he had cleansed the sanc- 
tuary from the pollutions of the discomfited heathen and had 
set up a new and purer altar for the service of the Lord (l 
Mac. iv. 52-59). This narrative is substantially repeated 
in 2 Mac. x. 1-8 ; and S. John has an allusion to this feast : 
* and it was at Jerusalem the feast of the Dedication, and it was 
winte?'. (x. 22.)' A. H. G. 

The religious observance of Christmas (the term Christ- 
mas is derived from Christ and the Saxon maisse, signifying 
the mass, and a Feast) dates from a period as early, at least 

147 



148 



CHRISTMAS : OB, NATIVITY WEEK. 

Can this be He— 



as the 2d Century. Haydn says it was first observed A. D,, 
98. Clement, the co-worker of S. Paul, mentioned by him in 
his epistle to the Phillipians (iii. 3), says : 1 Brethren, keep 
diligently feast days ; and truly in the first place the day of 
Christ's birth.' 

It was ordered to be kept as a solemn Feast, and with the 
performance of Divine Services on the 25th of December, by 
Telesphorus, Bishop of Rome, about A. D., 137. His injunc- 
tions are, 'that in the holy night of the Nativity of our Lord 
and Saviour, they do celebrate public Church services, and in 
them solemnly sing the Angels' Hymn, because also the same 
night He was declared unto the shepherds by an angel, as the 
truth itself doth witness/ In the same age Theophilus, Bish- 
op of Csesarea, recommends the celebration of the birth-day 
of our Lord, ' on what day soever the 25th of December shall 
happen.' In the following century Cyprian begins his 1 Treatise 
on the Nativity ' thus : 1 The much wished for and long ex- 
pected Nativity of Christ is come, the famous solemnity is 
come.' 

Gregory Nazianzen and S. Basil both have sermons on this 
day. S. Chrysostom also says : 1 This day was of great anti- 
quity, and of long continuance, being famous and renowned in 
the Church from the beginning, far and wide, from Thrace as 
far as Gades in Spain. And he styles it, 1 the most venerable 
and tremendous of all festivals, and the metropolis or mother 
of all Festivals.' (The Holidays, etc. By Nathan B. 
Warren.) 

The first Christians who, it is proper to remark, were all 
Hebrews, solemnized the Nativity on the first of January, con- 
forming in this computation to the Roman year, though it is 
particularly to be noticed that on the Feast of Tabernacles 



CHEISTMAS ; OB, NATIVITY WEEK. 149 

The conquering Christ for Whom the world has 
waited long— 

they ornamented their churches with green boughs, as a me- 
morial that Christ was actually bom at that time, in like 
manner as the ancient Jews erected booths or tents, which 
they inhabited at this season, to keep up by an express com- 
mand from God, the remembrance of the deliverance from 
Egyptian bondage, and their having dwelt in tents or taberna- 
cles in the wilderness. J. H. 

Jesus (says Jarvis in his chronological History of the 
Church at the end of a long and powerful dissertation on the 25 th 
day of December as the day of our Lord's Nativity) completed 
His 30th year on the 25th of December preceding His bap- 
tism, in the year of the Julian Period 4737 ; the 6th month of 
the first year of the 201st Olympiad ; on the 5th day of the 
ninth month A. U. C. 777 ; the 69th year of the Julian Cal- 
endar, which was Bissextile ; and when M. Asinius Agrippa 
and Cossus Cornelius Lentulus were consuls. 

Consequently (4737-30) He Was Born on the 25th of 
December, A. J. P. 4707 ; the 6th month of the third year of 
the 193d Olympiad ; on the 5th day of the 9th month A. U. C. 
747 the 39th year of the Julian Calendar. 

Rev. S. F. Jarvis, D.D., LL.D. 

THE MORNING OF CHRIST'S NATIVITY. 

This is the month, and this the happy morn, 

Wherein the Son of Heaven's eternal King, 
Of wedded Maid, and Virgin mother born, 
Our great redemption from above did bring ; 
For so the holy Sages once did sing, 

That He our deadly forfeit should release, 

And with His Father work us a perpetual peace. 



150 CHRISTMAS ; OE, NATIVITY WEEK. 

Go forth and listen to the angels' song ; 



That glorious form, that light unsufferable, 

And that far beaming blaze of majesty, 
Wherewith He wont at Heav'n's high council table 
To sit the midst of Trinal Unity, 
He laid aside ; and here with us to be, 

Forsook the courts of everlasting day. 

And chose with us a darksome house of mortal clay. 

Milton. 

This is our 1 feast of tabernacles/ Is it not for this we bring 
boughs into God's house at this time, to remind us of the 
booths in which God's Son, Israel, dwelt of old in the wilderness, 
which prefigured the booth, the tent, the tabernacle, €>Kl]V?1 7 
in which God's Son was content to dwell among us here, 
when, as Wordsworth writes, the Cfxr)V7] of our humanity 
became the Shechinah of Deity ? Let us not rest here. For 
the feast of tabernacles commemorated also the overshadowing 
of the people by the pillar of the cloud ; and found a plain 
fulfilment when ; on the dedication day of the first temple, 
' the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.' And we 
are to look for this overshadowing pillar, ' for as many as are 
led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God,' and we 
are to make glorious and beautiful, by careful upbuilding and 
thorough consecration, the souls in which the Spirit dwells. 
And then the feast of tabernacles is the feast of ingathering ; 
not one Son of Man only, God's Son incarnate, but men be- 
come sons by the power given them of God : not Christ 
taking our nature only, but besides that, ' we regenerate and 
made God's sons ' : Christ, the first fruits, afterwards they 
{hat are Christ's, W. C. D. 

This is one of the days for which the Church of England 



CHRISTMAS ; OE, NATIVITY WEEK. 

Be not offended thus to see Him weak, 



151 



appoints special Psalms and a Proper Preface in the Commun- 
ion Service. In the First Book of King Edward VI. there 
were separate Collects, Epistles and Gospels appointed for the 
first and second celebrations on this and on Easter Day. 

If Christmas falls on a Friday, that Friday is not to be a 
fast day. Christmas Day is one of the 4 Scarlet Days ' at Ox- 
ford and Cambridge. 

This festival is variously named. Our own Christmas 
comes nearest to the German provincialism 4 Christfest.' The 
Romance languages merely retain the Latin name, the 
French deviating from it most widely in Noel. This word be- 
came a cry of joy : we find it sung at Angers during the eight 
days preceding Christmas, fifteen times at the conclusion of 
Lands, and it thus came to be used at other seasons of re- 
joicing. 

The Welch Na dolig is from the same source. The Ger- 
man Weihnochten has been derived from Wein, as if express- 
ing the festal character of the day. But it is clearly from the 
inseparable compound Weih, which denotes sanctity or holi- 
ness, and occurs so often in German ecclesiastical works. Its 
composition with the word 4 night ' rather than 4 day ' is refera- 
ble to the midnight Mass with which the solemnity so beauti- 
fully begins. In Portugal 1 pascoa,' the proper term for 
Easter, is by an easy corruption, applied also to the other two 
great festivals. Christmas is, therefore, called 4 Pascoa de 
Natal.' Here, also, we have the Scotch 'Yule;' the mediae- 
val German 4 Juel,' as they say, from 'julen,' to be merry. 
But a more remarkable appellation, 1 Aukdopfterstag,' from a 
custom of going round with mallets or hammers, and beating 
at every door and shutter, a symbolism of the anxiety of 4 the 
spirits in prison ' to be set free by the birth of the New 



152' CHRISTMAS; OE, NATIVITY "WEEK. 

This is the Sox, bend down and kiss His cheek, 



King. In Basque Christmas is Eguberi (i. e., ' New Day ') — 
1 old things are passed away ; and behold all things are be- 
come neTir* The Eastern Church gives this epithet to the 
Easter season. In Irish, Christmas is called ' Not-laig.' 
simply from 1 Natale. 1 

The Christmas miuce-pics, now round, were anciently made 
in the form of a cradle, in allusion to the birth of the Child 
Jesus. E. K. 

The ancient Church of England welcomed Christmas Day 
with a special service on the Vigil, a celebration of the Holy 
Communion soon after midnight, another at early dawn, and 
a third at the usual hour of the mid-day mass. The first two 
of these services were omitted from the Prayer Book of 1549, 
and the third from that of 1552. But an early communion, as 
well as the usual mid-day one. has always been celebrated in 
some of the greater churches on Christmas Day, and the cus- 
tom has revived the midnight celebration also in addition to 
the ordinary Even-song of Christmas Eve. The midnight 
celebration commemorates the actual Birth of our Lord, the 
early morning one its revelation to mankind in the persons of 
the shepherds, that at mid-day the Eternal Sonship of the 
Holy Child Jesus. J. H. B. 

On this solemn Festival three masses are sung or said to 
represent to us that Christ by His Nativity came into the 
world to save ; 1. Those who were before the Law ; 2. Who 
were under the Law ; 3. Those under the Gospel. By these 
three Masses the Church likewise honours a three-fold Nativ- 
ity of Christ : 1. His eternal generation and Nativity, born 
from all eternity and before all time of His Father ; 2. His 
Nativity and generation in time according to His human na- 



CHRISTMAS ; OR, NATIVITY WEEK. 



153 



Then with the wise men fall upon thy knee, 
For Bethlehem's gate leads out to Calvary, 
When He will yet more humbled be, 
Even unto death in agony, 

And all for thee. E. H. 

HOME COLLECT, 
Most merciful Father, by Whose infinite love 
Thy Son did humble Himself, amidst the glory of 
heavenly homage, to be born of the Blessed Virgin 
that He might exalt us, by renewing and raising 
man through satisfying grace : Grant to us 3 Thy 
adopted children, such growth in grace as to be 
wholly Thine for ever ; through the same Thy Son 
Jesus Christ, our Lord, to Whom with Thee and 
the Holy Spirit, ever one God, be glory, now and for 
ever. A men. C. F. H. 



ture, being born of the blessed Virgin Mary ; 3. His spiritual 
birth by grace in the souls of the just. R. M. 

It has been remarked (of this high festival) by the author 
of 1 Primitive Christianity ' that the first fruits of it are to be 
discovered in the second century ; and so Chrysostom writes, 
1 This day was of great antiquity, and of long continuance, 
being famous in the Church from the beginning.' 

The day was observed, with the same religious solemnity as 
the Lord's day — sermons — a solemn Communion. Liberty 
was granted to servants, to rest from their ordinary labours — 
all fasting was prohibited and also all public shows and 
games. A. G 



154 



CHBISMAS : 0E 5 NATIVITY WEEK. 



COMMENTS. 
We feed to-day on angels' food. In Bethlehem, 
by interpretation, the "house of bread," the Bread 
of heaven is produced. Thus unto us is " born 
this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, Which is 
Christ the Lord." Thus, in after years, the Child 
when age rested on His brow, Himself declared " I 
am the living Bread Which came down from heaven. 
If any man eat of this Bread he shall live for ever." 
(S. John vi. 51.) Hence I say in feeding to day on 
Jesus we feed on angels' food — the food by which 
the angels lived before the Incarnation, and the 
food by which they still live to-day— even the Word, 
the living Bread, which existed in heaven before His 
birth, and which came down from heaven for the 
very purpose of supplying such food to man that he 
might more than live again as Adam did when he had 
privilege to the tree of life. So Christ Himself 
took the pains to declare when He said " I am the 
Living Bread Which came down from heaven. If 
any man eat of this Bread, he shall live forever, and 
the Bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will 
give for the life of the world." The Jews therefore 
strove among themselves, saying, How can this man 
give us his flesh to eat ? Then Jesus said unto 
them, verily, verily, I say unto you. Except ye eat 
the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, 
ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth My flesh, and 



CKRISTMAS ; OE, NATIVITY WEES. 



155 



drinketh My blood, hath eternal life ; and I will 
raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is meat 
indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that 
eateth My flesh, and drinketh My blood, dwelleth 
in Me, and I in him. As the living Father hath 
sent Me, and I live by the Father ; so he that 
eateth Me, even he shall live by Me. This is that 
bread which came down from heaven ; not as your 
fathers did eat manna, and are dead ; he that eat- 
eth of this Bread shall live for ever," (S. John vi, 

S*-59-) ; 

By Him Who spoke these words " all things con- 
sist." (Col. i. 17). Aye, He is the very Bread by 
Which the good angels live, by Which sinners are 
saved from death, by Which the very Saints exist. 
"All things were created by Him and for Him." 
What high and holy and responsible thoughts ! Let 
us see to it that we appreciate them in our lives. 
Let us remember them when before His altar we 
hear the sweet words, u This is My Body— This is 
My Blood." C. F. H. 

The coming of Christ has been the desire of 
mankind ever since Adam was for his sin banished 
from Paradise. All nature felt the bruise of Adam's 
fall ; the whole creation lay groaning and travailing 
in pain after sin had brought death into the world. 
The best of men felt the sore disease, and groaned 
within themselves for redemption (Rom. viii.) 



156 



cmasncAs; oe. nativity week. 



Miserable creatures desired a merciful deliverance ; 
but justice stood in the way of mercy, and must 
have full satisfaction made to it, before mercy could 
take place. The whole creation could not make 
atonement to infinite justice, for created things 
could not make atonement to their Creator, 

That righteousness and peace might embrace, 
that infinite justice and infinite mercy might be 
reconciled the Lord Himself took upon Him our 
nature ; He became Immanud, that is, God unt/i us, 
God and man in one person ; man to suffer, and 
God to satisfy, and to make that suffering of such 
worth that it could atone for the sins of the whole 
world. The first promise of this Divine Redeemer 
and His redemption was made in Paradise, when it 
was said (Gen. iii), ' The seed of the woman shall 
bruise the serpent's head.' And now, the Morning 
Star eclipses Himself in the rising Sun, and Advent 
has given place to Christmas. C. S. 

On this day the Church celebrates with joy, and 
gladness, and exultation, the Nativity of her Lord, 
Who became Incarnate, that is, took our nature 
upon Him. He became Man that He might bring 
us back to God, that we might know God, and love 
Him with all our hearts ; and that He might raise 
us up to Himself. He became the Son of man that 
we might become the sons of God. He was born 



CHRISTMAS J OE, NATIVITY WEEK. 



157 



in the flesh, that we might be born again of the 
Spirit. Born as a stranger, in an inn, and in the 
lowliness and poverty of a stable, that He might 
teach us humility. He was born a tender Infant, to 
make us perfect men. Born in weakness to give us 
strength, in poverty, to make us rich ; wrapped in 
mean swaddling clothes, that we might be clothed 
with the robe of righteousness and immortality. 
Let us then pass this happy Festival in the greatest 
devotion and fervour, in prayers, praises, and 
thanksgivings. Go in spirit to Bethlehem to be- 
hold thy God, and to adore the Word made Flesh, 
Worship the Lord, Who came to free us from sin. 
For it is the Birth-Day of the eternal King, the Son 
of God. To-day He appeared amongst men; to- 
day the light of our redemption dawned; the mercy 
and loving kindness of God our Saviour was made 
manifest. C. G. 

Within us, Babe divine, 
Be born, and make us Thine ; 
Within our soul reveal 
Thy love and power to heal; 
Be born, and make our hearts Thy cradle and Thy 
shrine. 

{Isaac Williams.) L. A. 

In keeping with these lines the Collect teaches us 
to pray as baptized members of Christ's Church, in 



158 



CHRISTMAS; OR, NATIVITY WXETL 



whom the infection of a sinful nature on earth still 
remains. " Grant that we being regenerate* and 
made Thy children by adoptionf and grace, may 
daily be renewedj, by Thy Holy Spirit, through 

* There is no scriptural authority for using the word ' re- 
generation ' or any of the cognate expressions, 'new birth,' 
1 born again,' 'born anew," etc., in the sense of conversion. 
The change of heart involved in 1 conversion ' is quite distinct 
from the change of relation involved in regeneration. (This 
may be well illustrated by what has been suggested to the 
author of this work, viz : the emancipation of slaves by an 
emancipation proclamation, C. F. H.) Figuratively, conversion 
may be spoken of as a new birth, but it is not the new birth ; 
and it would obviate much confusion and misunderstanding if 
the words were kept quite apart. E. D, 

f 1 By adoption* In a general sense we received ' the adop- 
tion of sons ' when the Lord took upon Himself our human 
nature (Gal. iv. 4. 5.) ; but the formal act by which we are in- 
dividually adopted is the act of Baptism. Comp. Gal. iii. 
26, 27. E. D. 

\ ' Renewed! Renovation is the daily continuance of that 
gracious work which is commenced in regeneration. Comp. 
Col. iii. 9, 10: 1 putting off the old man with our deeds, and 
putting on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after 
the image of Him that created him.' It is expressly con- 
nected with the operation of the Holy Spirit in Tit, iii. 5 : 
* Renewing of the Holy Ghost.' Dissenters often suppose 
that we include renovation under regeneration. This is a 
great mistake. Regeneration is a single act that takes place 
once and for all ; renovation is a continuous work, 1 The inward 
man is renewed day by day/ (2 Cor. iv. 16.) E. D. 



CHRISTMAS ; OR, NATIVITY WEEH. 



159 



Jesus Christ, Who in His immaculate conception 
overcame entirely in Himself all the sinful infec- 
tion of human nature. 

"Man in God's own image made, 
Man by Satan's wiles betrayed, 
Man on whom corruption preyed, 
Shut out from hope of life and of salvation 
To-day Christ maketh him a new creation. 
For He hath triumphed gloriously."* 

In the glorious revelation of God's Son contained 
In the Epistle we have presented to us the superi- 
ority of God's only begotten Sox above the angels. 
"Unto which of the angels said He (the Father) 
at any time, Thou art My Sox, this day have I be- 
gotten Thee — and again, when He bringeth the 
First-begotten into the world, He said, let all the 
angels worship Him. And of the angels He saith, 
Who maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a 
flame of fire. But unto the Son He saith, Thy 
throne, O God, is for ever and ever." Through 
the same God-Sox and God-Man, God speaks now 
to man as He never spoke to man before. M There- 
fore (it is written) we ought to give the most earn- 
est heed to the things which we have heard, lest at 
any time we should let them slip. For if the word 
spoken by angels (the law by the disposition of 



* Cosmas. A. H. G. 



CHRISTMAS ; OR, NATIVITY WEEK. 



angels, Acts vii. 53) was steadfast, and every trans- 
gression and disobedience received a just recom- 
pense of reward ; how shall we escape, if we neg- 
lect so great salvation ; which at the first began to 
be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us 
by them that heard Him ; God also bearing them 
witness, both with signs and wonders, and with 
divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, ac- 
cording to His own will ? For unto the angels hath 
he not put in subjection the world to come." Heb. 
ii. 1-5. 

By the incarnation man in Christ is raised. above 
angelic beings. This is fully demonstrated in the 
Gospel for Christmas Day read in the light of the 
rest of Scripture. The Incarnation is there de- 
clared. " In the beginning was the Word,* and 
the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us 
— full of grace and truth/* making us by prescience, 
in intent, and afterwards by sacramental grace verily 
and indeed, " members of His Body." Eph. v. 30. 
" Jehovah in our flesh array 'd, 
Eternity in time display'd, 
The Virgin-born, of God the Son, 
The Natures, two, the Person, one, 



*"The Messiah was called the Word of God by the 
Jews." Cruden. 



CHEISTMAS ; OK, ITATXYITT "WZEK. 



161 



Creator, yet a creature found, 
Both crucified and glory-crown'd. 

Oh, myst'ry* dread ! almighty plan 
Where Man is God, and God is Man — 
Such Incarnation saints believe; 

Implicit faith, not reason, there 
Welcomes the truth their minds receive, 
And worship it, in wond'ring prayer. 

Incarnate ! through Thy life and love, 
Already seems the Church above; (Eph. ii. 6.) 



*As firelight upon the darken'd skies, 
Is powerless to reveal 
The worlds their depth conceal ; 

So is the vanity of human eyes. 

Which fain the mighty God would scan, 

Who in the Sox of man 

Alone comes forth from His eternity, 

Touch'd, handled, look'd upon, and known to be. 

E. H. 

What though no glory shine above, 

Nor Angel's voice be heard ? 
The Church, our Messenger of love, 

Proclaims th' Incarnate Word, 

While altars beam with tribute light, 

And countless choirs reply, 
In words first taught in heavenly light, 

4 Glory to God on high. ' 



162 



CHRISTMAS ; OE, NATIVITY WEEK. 



For in Thy Person, where Thou art, 

The members have a mystic part : 

With Thee They hang upon the Cross, (Gal. ii. 20). 

With Thee endure all earthly loss, 

And from Thy glory-crowns of heav'n 

Predestined rays to them are giv'n, (2 Tim. iv. 8). 

Since Thou and They incorp'rate are 

Combined in sacerdotal prayer,— 

OfTer'd by our High Priest for all 
Who on His bleeding pangs rely, 
And both in life and death recall 
Incarnate God, Who came to die.* 

C. F. H. 

To-Day the Church wakes up our most joyful 
songs of praise and thanksgiving, for to-day she 

Alike in church and mission room 

Our new-born King we greet ; 
'Neath rustic roof and sculptured dome 

We kiss His sacred Feet. 

If T mid palatial pomp we raise 

Our sweet- voic'd minstrelsie ; 
The nobler then our work of praise, 

The worthier, Lord, of Thee. 

If 'mid the notes of poverty- 
Faith's child-like eye in them 

Thy Birth in semblance may descry, 

A second Bethlehem. L. L. 

* The Sanctuary. MONTGOMERY. 



CHRISTMAS ; OE, NATIVITY WEEK. 



163 



brings us good tidings of great joy ! During the 
last four weeks she has been shewing to us the 
terrors of the Lord, and so making us feel our need 
of a Saviour; she has been teaching us that God's in- 
finite justice must be satisfied, but that for this satis- 
faction no human sacrifice can be sufficient 

To-day she tells us of one born into the world, 
Who being God to save, as well as man to suffer, is 
able to make that perfect sacrifice oblation and sat- 
isfaction, which our sins had required. Thus it is 
upon the doctrine of the union of the divine and 
human natures in the Person of our Blessed Sa- 
viour that we found all our hopes ; and it is this 
doctrine which the Church would especially teach 
us on Christmas-Day ; for while we celebrate His 
coming in the flesh as perfect man, the services re- 
mind us that He is also perfect God. 

In the portion of Scripture appointed for the 
Epistle, S. Paul unfolds to us this mystery. He 
tells us that He Whom we call the Sox of God ex- 
isted with the Father before the foundation of the 
world, (verse 2), and therefore He is eternal ; that 
He was appointed heir of all things,* (v. 2) and 

* The principal idea in xXqpovo/Llia is not that of a pos- 
session which any one receives through the death of another, 
but a possession which he on his part can transfer as an in- 
heritance to his posterity ; consequently a permanent posses- 
sion over which he has sole authority.' — Olshausen by W. D. 



161 



CHKISTMAS; OE, NATIVITY WEEK. 



that by Him the worlds were made, and therefore 
He is Almighty. The Apostle would also make 
known to us His perfect union with the divine na- 
ture, for he calls Him 4 the Brightness of His 
Father's glory/ and we know that the brightness 
which proceeds from any great light, must be of 
the same nature as the light itself, and then by im- 
mediately afterwards speaking of the Son as an 
' image,' resemblance of the Father, he would go 
on to teach us that with this unity of nature there is 
also a distinction of Persons (v. 3.) Again, in the 
adoration of the heavenly hosts, we have an addi- 
tional proof of the glory and majesty of this Di- 
vine Person (v. 7.) 

The same truth is again fully disclosed to us by 
S. John in that portion of his Gospel appointed for 
this day. In the former part of it, the Son of 
God, or second Person of the Holy Trinity, is 
called ' the Word,' which title was never applied by 
the Jews to any but to the Divine Being. He is 
said to have been from the beginning ' with God,' 
to be indeed i very God,' and to have proved Him- 
self to be so, by the exertion of divine power as 
the Creator of all things (v. 8) So is the perfect 
Godhead of our Blessed Lord abundantly revealed 
to us. His perfect manhood is fully shown to us 
in the latter part of this Scripture, where we read 
that 6 the Word ' was made flesh, and dwelt among 



CHKISTMAS ; OE, NATIVITY WEEK. 



165 



us, (v. 14) losing nothing of His glory, though par- 
taking of our nature and infirmities. C. T. 

Like circles widening round 

Upon a clear blue river, 
Orb after orb, the wondrous sound 
Is echoed on for ever ; 
Glory to God on high, on earth be peace, 
And love towards men of love— salvation and release. 

Yet stay, before thou dare 

To join that festal throng ; 
Listen and mark what gentle air 
First stirred the tide of song : 
'Tis not, ' the Saviour born in David's home, 
To Whom for power and health obedient worlds 
do come.' — ■ 

'Tis not ' the Christ the Lord',— 

With fix'd adoring look 
The choir of angels caught the word, 
Nor yet their silence broke : 
But when they heard the sign, where Christ 
should be, 

In sudden light they shone and heavenly harmony. 

Wrapp'd in His swaddling bands, 

And in His manger laid, 
The hope and glory of all lands 

Is come to the world's aid : 



166 



CHRISTMAS; OR, NATIVITY WEEK. 



No peaceful home upon His cradle smiled, 
Guests rudely went and came, where slept the royal 
Child. 

But where Thou dwellest Lord, 

No other thought should be 
Once duly welcomed and adored, 
How should I part with Thee ? 
Bethlehem must lose Thee soon, but Thou wilt 
grace 

The single heart to be Thy sure abiding place. 

Thee on the bosom laid 

Of a pure virgin mind, 
In quiet ever, and in shade, 
Shepherd and sage may find : 
They who have bow'd untaught to nature's sway, 
And they, who follow truth along her star-paved 
way. 

The pastoral spirits first 

Approach Thee, Babe divine 
For they in lowly thoughts are nursed, 
Meet for Thy lowly shrine : 
Sooner than they should miss where thou dost dwell, 
Angels from heaven will stoop to guide them to 
Thy cell. 



Still, as the day comes round 



CHRISTMAS; OB, NATIVITY WEEK. 



167 



For Thee to be reveal'd, 
By wakeful shepherds thou art found, 

Abiding in the field. 
All through the wintry heaven and chill night air, 
In music and in light Thou dawnest on their prayer. 

O faint not ye that fear— 

What though your wandering sheep, 
Reckless of what they see and hear, 
Lie lost in wilful sleep ? 
High Heaven in mercy to your sad annoy 
Still greets you with glad tidings of immortal joy, 

Think on th' eternal home 

The Saviour left for you ; 
Think on the Lord most holy, come 
To dwell with hearts untrue : 
So shall ye tread untired His pastoral ways, 
And in the darkness sing your carol of high praise. 

K. 

Our present Collect, one that does the highest 
possible credit to the composers, has the one 
thought of the birth of Christ running throughout 
it. This birth it is intimated must be repeated in 
the Christian. The experience of Christ our 
Head must be one throughout. We must ascend 
into heaven (' in heart and mind ' *) ; we too must 
rise (unto 1 newness of life * )- f We too must die 

* Collect for Ascension, etc. See Eph. ii. 6. 

t See Rom. vi. 4. 



1.68 



CHRISTMAS; OR, NATIVITY WEEK. 



(' unto sin '*) ; and as the beginning of all things, 
we too must be born again, f just as Christ, 'be- 
gotten of His Father before all worlds ' J under 
went a new birth in the flesh. 

If our Lord had a new birth through the flesh, 
then, before He appeared in the flesh, He must 
have been (as Scriptuie intimates that He was) be- 
gotten from everlasting from the Father. § 

If any man ask the practical value of this doc- 
trine of Christ's eternal generation, I say that, 
without this doctrine, we should not have the same 
assurance of God's exceeding great love towards 
us. 'God so loved the world that He gave His 
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him 
should not perish, but have everlasting life, (S. John 
iii. 1 6.) Parents know what it is to give up a child, 
how it wrings their hearts to part with him even to 
fair prospects and a bright future. But to part 
with a child on an enterprise, which can only end in 
a hard life, an agonizing struggle, a cruel and shame- 
ful death — how dear must any object be to a 
father's heart, for which he consents to make such a 
sacrifice as this! And this, the sacrifice, if I may 



* See Rom. vi. 10, n. f See S. John iii. 3, 5. 
\ Nicene Creed. § See S. John i. 18. 



CHRISTMAS ; OR, NATIVITY WEEK. 



169 



so say, not of a Person in the Godhead uncon- 
nected with Him, but of a Son— a Son in affection, in 
dutifulness, in confidence— is exactly the sacrifice 
which has been made for each one of us. This 
Son had a ' NEW^irth through the flesh ' — a birth 
of a pure virgin— so as to establish between our- 
selves and Him a perfect sympathy. And it should 
not be overlooked that this nature was taken from 
the tenderer side of humanity, that it was drawn 
out of a mother, and that no human father shared 
in its generation. The Seed of the woman, though 
Himself a man, was thus endued with woman's 
tenderness, compassion, and patient endurance ; 
and qualified more abundantly than would other- 
wise have been the case, to have compassion on the 
ignorant and on them that are out of the way. 

1 Grant that we being regenerate, and made Thy 
children by adoption and grace.' Our Reformers 
clung to the ancient and universal phraseology of 
the Church from the earliest times, in representing 
all the baptized as regenerate, and made God's 
children by adoption and grace. Our Blessed Lord 
speaks of baptism as a birth of water and of the 
Spirit (S. John iii. 5.) In His Own 1 new birth ' the 
Spirit operated, inasmuch as He was i conceived by 
the Holy Ghost ; ' but there was also a human and 
earthly instrument employed in producing the 
effect— 6 a pure Virgin/ Similarily the Spirit is the 



170 



CHBISTMAS; OB, NATIVITY WEEK. 



prime agent in our new birth ; but there is also a 
human and earthly instrument which the Spirit con- 
descends to employ— pure water — made Thy chil- 
dren by adoption and grace.' By • grace 9 here is 
not meant, according to the popular conception of 
the word, an influence upon the mind of man, but 
simply free favour. It was a free favour that God 
gave His Son to take upon Him the nature com- 
mon to all mankind, and in that nature 1 to make 
reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlast- 
ing righteousness (Dan. ix. 24.) It is a free favour 
to individuals that they are born in a Christian land, 
and have the merits of Christ applied to them by 
the sacrament of Baptism, and receive the motions 
of His Spirit with the earliest dawn of conscious- 
ness. But let it not be imagined for a moment that 
this is all, or anything more than the beginning of 
the work of our sanctification. Too often the 
vital spark communicated in Baptism is overlaid 
and smothered by neglect of religious education on 
the part of parents, and by frivolities, and follies, 
and youthful lusts on the part of the baptized. In 
that case the spark, which has been, it may be, latent 
and never quite extinct, must be made to burst 
forth vividly and brilliantly from the embers of 
worldliness and sensuality, under which it has long 
smouldered. This process is often called conver- 
sion ; but strictly speaking, it is but the beginning 



CHEISTMAS ; OR, NATIVITY WEEK. 



171 



of the work so called, and needs to be carried on 
and perfected. It would probably be better to call 
it renewal, and thus to cling as closely as possible 
to the phraseology of scripture — -the washing of re- 
generation, and renewing of the Koly Ghost, which 
He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ 
our Saviour. (Tit. iii. 5, 6.) E. M. G. 

The Collect for this day, after ascribing to Al- 
mighty God the gift of His 'only begotten Son, Who 
was born of a pure virgin, to take our nature upon 
Him' (the union of God and man), consists of three 
parts or clauses, wherein we pray: 1 — -That we being 
regenerate or incorporated into Christ's Church ; 
2 — and made His children by adoption and grace, or 
having received the spirit of adoption; 3 — may daily 
be renewed by His Holy Spirit, or become inherit- 
ors of the kingdom of heaven. 

During the baptismal season, on this day and on 
the first and second Sundays after Christmas, these 
several subjects may be appropriately considered in 
their order, in connection throughout with this 
mysterious union of God and man. It is therefore 
presumed, on this day, that we are made ' the sons 
of God,' by baptism, and praise Him for this re- 
generation or admission to the privilege of member- 
ship of Christ's Church, which is the body of 
Christ. On the next Sunday we are called on, by 
the services and lessons, especially to meditate upon 



172 



CHRISTMAS; OR. NATIVITY WEES. 



the other portion of the Collect ; that we may be 
daily renewed by His Holy Spirit, the spirit of son- 
ship or adoption, in our hearts ; and on the second 
after Christmas upon the inheritance of the king- 
dom of heaven. ' If children, then heirs ; heirs of 
God, and joint heirs with Christ.' Rom. viii. 17, 

In this Epistle is shown the great superiority of 
the Christian Revelation over the Jewish. 

The Gospel informs us of the existence of ' the 
Word 5 the Sox of God. 

The name of Jesus did not belong to the Son of 
Man until His circumcision on the eighth day after 
His birth ; and the title Christ belonged only to 
His office of Messiah, which was not exercised 
until thirty years after. But the Word belonged to 
Him before His incarnation. A. G. 

The Collect for this day puts us in mind of the 
Sox of God's being born, not only of the seed of a 
woman, but of the womb of a pure virgin, and 
thereby His taking our nature upon Him: and 
teaches us to pray, that as He was born of our 
flesh, so we may be regenerate and born again of 
His Holy Spirit ; and as He by His incarnation 
partook of our human nature, so we by spiritual 
regeneration may be partakers of His divine nature. 

The Epistle for the day acquaints us — First, 
with one great end of Christ's incarnation which 
was to reveal the mind and will of His Father more 
fully than the prophets, (vs. 1, 2.) 



CHRISTMAS 5 OR, NATIVITY WEEK. 



173 



Secondly, It sets forth the high dignity aud great- 
ness of Christ's person, being equal in glory and 
greatness to the Father, (v. 3.) 

Thirdly, It shews us Christ's exceeding great pre- 
eminence above the angels, in sundry instances and 
particulars, (vs. 4-10.) 

Fourthly, It concludes with the eternity of Christ's 
duration, showing Him to be before the worlds, 
which He made by His power ; and that He will be 
after them, when all things will be destroyed. 

I begin, as the Epistle does, with the manner of 
God's speaking to us now, which is much different 
from that in which He spake before Christ's 
coming. 

1 st. God spake ' at sundry times,' by parts and 
piece-meal (so the original signifies); whereas He 
speaks to us once for all, and imparts His mind 
altogether. 

2d. God spake to the fathers by ' divers Persons,' 
and by 'sundry ways and methods ' (so nokvr ponoo^ 
signifies) whereas He speaks us now by One only, 
and in one way, ' by His Son, Whom He hath made 
heir of all, 

God spake to them of old 1 at sundry times ; ' 
that is He discovered things by degrees, not all at 
once, but by several parts and steps, something at 
one time, and something at another ; something to 
one person, and something to another ; the nearer 



174 



CHRISTMAS; OB. NATIVITY WEEK. 



they came to the fulness of time, the plainer were 
their discoveries of this great mystery of the incar- 
nation, manifested on this day. 

To Adam it was revealed, that the Sox of God 
should be 'the seed of a woman,' and that 'He 
should bruise the serpent's bread.' Gen. iii. 15. 

To Abraham that He should be of 1 His seed,' 
and 1 that in Him should all the nations of the earth 
be blessed.' Gen. xxii. 18. 

To Jacob that He should be of the tribe of 
Judah, xlix. ; called therefore the Lion of the tribe 
of Judah. 

To David that He should descend from His loins. 
Ps. cxxxii. 11. 12. 

To Isaiah that He should be born of a virgin. 
Isa. ix. 

To Daniel the time of His coming after seventy 
weeks of years. Dan. ix. 

To Micah the place of His nativity. Mic. v. 

There were things that related to His person, 
which were revealed by degrees to sundry persons, 
as were also His offices : for — 

To Moses it was discovered that He should be a 
Prophet, to reveal the mind of God to His people. 
Deut. xviii. 15 . 

To David that He should be a PrieF,t : to inter- 
cede for them. Ps. ex. 4. 

To Jeremiah that He should be a King, to rule 
over them. Jer. xxiii. 5, 6. 



CHRISTMAS ; OE, NATIVITY WEEK. 175 

Then for His names :— 

To Isaiah it was imparted that His name should 
be t Emmanuel ; that is God with us,' Isaiah vii. 
14, and Matt. i. 23. 

To Jeremiah that He should be called, ■ The 
Lord our Righteousness/ Jer. xxiii.; and to others 
after by other titles and appellations— 

We have lived to see all their predictions accom- 
plished in the person of Christ — ■ 

3d. God spake to the fathers of old not only at 
distant times and in different measures, but also in 
divers ways and manners, as— 

1. God spake sometimes in dreams and visions. 
Job xxxiii, 14-16. Isa. vi. 1. Dan. x. 9-1 1, etc. 

2. God spake sometimes by the oracle of urim 
and thummim; that is, by the shining stones, or 
little images in the breast-plate of the high priest— 

3. God spake sometimes by a voice from heaven, 
called 'bath coll,' as we read, 1 Kings xix. 13, 
which voice sounded at our Saviour's baptism and 
transfiguration. Matt. iii. and Ch. xvii. 

4. ' God spake to the fathers of old by the proph- 
ets ; ' Secondly, The transcendent glory and greatness 
of this Son of God, expressed by His ' being the 
brightness of His Father's Glory, and the express 
image of His person, and upholding all things by 
the word of His power; ' Thirdly, His exceeding 
great and high pre-eminence above 'the angels; - 



176 chmstmj^s; ob, Ninvm week. 

for to which of the angels said He at any time, sit 
Thou at My right hand, till I make Thine enemies 
Thy footstool V (v. 13.) 

2dly. The names and Titles given to Him were 
much higher than any that were given to the angels; 
so the next words tell us. 1 Being made so much 
better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance 
obtained a more excellent name than they. For 
unto which of the angels said He at any time, Thou 
art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee ? and 
again I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to 
Me a Son ? — 

3<ily. The pre-eminence of Christ above the angels 
set forth by the worship and service they were com- 
manded by God to pay Him. * When He bringeth 
in His first begotten into the world He saith, and 
let all the angels of God worship Him.' 

4th. To the angels He sairh, ' W\m maketh His 
angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire 
this is quoted from Ps. civ. 4, when the same words 
are prophetically spoken of Christ ; the sense 
whereof is. that the angels are all at His beck and 
command, and ready to minister to Him upon all 
occasions. 

But Lastly, There is one thing more that exalts 
Him far above the angels, and ail principalities and 
powers ; and that is that He is God blessed for 
ever and an eternal King; Whose throne is ever- 



CHRISTMAS ; OR, NATIVITY WEEK. 



177 



lasting, and His sceptre a sceptre of righteousness; 
so the next words describe Him : ' But unto the 
Son He saith, Thy throne, O God is for ever and 
ever ; a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of 
Thy kingdom ! 

4th. This Epistle concludes with two great at- 
tributes and perfections of this Son of God, the 
omnipotence of His power and the immutability of 
His Person and Kingdom. 

This Gospel for the day represents Christ to us 
both in His divine and human nature. 

M. H. 

The Birth of Christ is not the mere birth of one 
amongst the sons of men greater than any other. 
He that is born is to be the Parent of a mighty 
multitude who shall be reborn to a higher life by 
being taken into Him. The various children of 
men differ one from another according to the va- 
riety of natural gifts which they inherit from their 
parents. The faculties of mind and body vary in 
each individual. The supremacy of Christ does 
not consist in the superiority of His natural fac- 
culties although in all of them He was eminently 
superior to all that were round about Him. His 
true supremacy consists in that which is the cause 
of His natural superiority to other men ; and that 
is His Divine nature. It is the supernatural glory 
of His Person which makes Him to be altogether 



178 



CHRISTMAS; OR, NATIVITY WEEK. 



distinct from others, and it is this supernatural 
glory which makes Him not only in Himself to be 
infinitely superior to any who are His brethren 
after the flesh, but also to be capable of communi- 
cating to others that superiority which is His Own. 

Natural genius, however eminent, has no power 
of self-communication. It may, indeed, stimulate 
to imitation and emulation ; but it is a personal en- 
dowment which none can hand over to another, 
even though it were to gratify the strongest desires 
of love or the noblest aims of -devotion. 

Genius wins applause in proportion as it defies 
imitation. Jesus comes into the world in order to 
make all His people like unto Himself. He takes 
hold of the seed of Abraham that He may elevate 
humanity by the participation of the Divine nature. 

He comes, then, not to be a teacher only, but to 
be the Everlasting Father; the Father, that is, of 
the world to come. { He shall see His seed, He 
shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the 
Lord shall prosper in His hand.' (Isa, liii. 10.) 

This was the truth which He Himself first of all 
declared, when the devout Rabbi came to Him pre- 
pared to acknowledge Him as a Teacher sent from 
God. Jesus claimed to be approached upon a dif- 
ferent footing. His teaching required a new na- 
ture in those who should receive it before they could 
profit by it. 1 Except a man be born again, he can- 



CHBISTMAS ; Oli, NATIVITY WEEK. ^79 



not see the kingdom of God. (S. John iii. 3.) 

R. M. B. 

Our Saviour, dearly beloved, was born to-day ; 
let us rejoice; no room for sorrow should be there 
where is the birthday of life, which having re- 
moved the fear of death, fills us with joy by the 
promise of eternity. No one is cut off from shar- 
ing in this gladness ; all have one common reason 
for gladness ; because our Lord, the destroyer of 
sin and death, just as He found no one free from 
guilt, came to set all free. Let the saint leap for 
joy because he is drawing nigh to his crown ; let 
the sinner rejoice because he is invited to pardon, 
let the Gentile be encouraged because he is called 
to life. For the Sox of God in the fulness of time, 
which the unsearchable depth of the divine counsel 
determined, took upon Himself the nature of man- 
kind for the purpose of reconciling them to their 
Creator; that so the devil, who brought in death, 
might be vanquished by that very nature which he 
had conquered. 

Let us, then, dearly beloved, offer thanks to God 
the Father, by His Son - in the Holy Spirit, Who 
of the great mercy with which He loved us pitied 
us, and when we were dead in sins hath made us 
alive together with Christ, that we might be in 
Him a new creature, and a new workmanship. 
(Eph. ii. 5, 13, 18-iv. 29. Col. iii. 9.) Let us then 



180 



CHRISTMAS; OE, NATIVITY WEEK. 



put off the old man with his deeds, and sharing the 
nature of Christ, let us renounce the works of the 
flesh, () Christian, acknowledge your own dignity 
and,, being made a partaker of the divine nature, do 
not by a degenerate life return voluntarily to your 
old vileness. Remember of what head and of what 
body you are a member. Bear in mind, t hat res- 
cued from the power of darkness you are translated 
into the light and kingdom of God. By the Sacra- 
ment of Baptism you are made a temple of the Holy 
Ghost ; do not willingly drive such an In -dweller 
from you by evil deeds, nor subject yourself again 
to the servitude of the devil. The price paid for 
you is the blood of Christ ; and He Who in 
mercy redeemed you, will with truth judge you ; He 
Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit reigns for 
ever and ever. Amen. 

Whoever then you are who proudly and faithfully 
boast of the name of Christian, weigh with upright 
judgment the gracious favour of this reconciliation. 
For to you, formerly a castaway, thrust out from 
Paradise, dying from long banishment, to you, dis- 
solved in dust and ashes, who had no longer any 
hope of life, power is given, by the incarnation of 
the Word, to return from afar to your own Maker, 
to recognize your Parent, to be made from a servant 
a free man, from a stranger to be adopted as a son ; 
that you, who were born of corruptible flesh, might 



CHEISTMAS ; OK, NATIVITY WEEK. 



181 



be born again of the Spirit of God, and obtain by- 
grace what by nature you had not, and if you profess 
yourself to be a son of God by the Spirit of adop- 
tion, you may boldly call God your Father. Being 
freed from the guilt of an evil conscience, you may 
aspire to an heavenly kingdom ; and, relying on the 
divine aid, do the will of God ; imitate the angels 
upon earth ; be fed with the strength of an immor- 
tal subsistence ; secure against the temptations of 
the enemy you may fight on behalf of godliness ; and 
if you keep the oath of your heavenly warfare, 
doubt not that in the triumphal camp of the Eternal 
King, you will be crowned for your victory, when 
the resurrection prepared for the godly shall carry 
you on high to share the kingdom of heaven. Saint 
Leo. J. E. T. 

Out on the world, unheeded, came there One at the 
midnight hour, 
A lowly maid His mother, and a manger-stall 
His bed ; 

Out on the cold, cold winter, when the snow lay on 
the ground, 

He came a tender Infant to Bethlehem's humble 
shed. 

Out on the world, forsaken, poor, He comes to sin- 
ners still, 

When storms are raging fiercely and 'tis night be- 
cause of sin ; 



182 



CHRISTMAS; OR, NATIVITY WEEK, 



Out on the cold, cold winter — to their thankless 
hearts he comes, 
And they turn their faces from Him and will not 
take Him in. 

But every lowly bosom which receives Him tenderly 
He strengthens with His Presence, and His bless- 
ing comfort brings; 
What joy to that poor dwelling when the Lord of 
glory comes — 
Another Bethlehem's manger to enthrone the king 
of kings ! Mrs. F. G. Lee. 

Glorious and comforting, beyond all words of 
ours, is the great truth proclaimed to all mankind 
on Christmas Day. How can we venture to define 
it, except in the carefully-chosen language of the. 
Creed, which tells us how necessary it is to ever- 
lasting salvation, to ' believe rightly the Incarnation 
of our Lord Jesus Christ ' — to believe and con- 
fess that He, ' the Son of God, is God and man ; 
God of the substance of the Father, begotten be- 
fore all the world, and man of the substance of 
His mother, born in the world ; perfect God, and 
perfect man : of a reasonable soul and human flesh 
subsisting ; equal to the Father, as touching the God- 
head : and inferior to the Father, as touching His 
manhood. Who although He be God and Man : 
yet He is not two, but one Christ ; One ; not by 



CHKISTMAS : OE, NATIVITY WEEK. 



183 



conversion of the Godhead into flesh ; but by tak- 
ing of the Manhood into God/ It is indeed a 
most glorious doctrine ; and to us also it is most 
comforting : for it declares to us that this Holy One, 
thus coming into the world, is truly partaker of our 
nature, and yet that He was infinitely higher than our- 
selves, and thus able to make atonement for us as no 
mere man could, and at the same time to sympathize 
with us only as a brother can— to take our nature upon 

Him, and to take our nature into His 

Let us ask ourselves, as we realize in some little meas- 
ure the strangeness and the greatness of this love of 
God in thus sending His Own Son, and sending 
Him in the likeness of our sinful flesh — what shall 
be the result of this blessed Gospel, the fruit of this 
priceless gift. Heart answers to heart at such a time, 
and any one who enters into the teaching of Christ- 
mas will acknowledge these to be its chief lessons 
for us. 

i. We must give 'glory to God.' ' Thanks — 
for His unspeakable gift.' (2 Cor. ix, 15.) Let 
this be our word of praise ; and let it be the ex- 
pression of a truly thankful heart, and let it be a 
practical gratitude — a gratitude which constrains us 
to come, as if Jesus Christ Himself led us by the 
hand, to His Holy Table, there to offer in the Holy 
Communion our Eucharist (thanksgiving) to God— a 
gratitude which shows itself not only in the utterance 



184 



CHEISTMAS ; OH, NATIVITY WEEK. 



of psalms, and hymns and spiritual songs, but also in 
the humble, loving presentation of our souls and 
bodies as a sacrifice to Him. It may be that with 
many of us there is a sorrowful feeling that the day 
of our life is far spent, and that we have done 
hardly anything to prove our thankfulness to the 
Lord. Others, we know, have given, and are giv- 
ing themselves to His blessed service, and we too 
have a wish to do something for Him, born as He 
was and given for us. 

6 But I have not, it makes me sigh, 

One offering in my power ; 
Tis winter all with me, and I 

Have neither fruit nor flower. 
O God, O Brother, let me give 

My worthless self to Thee, 
And that the years which I may live 

May pure and spotless be.' 

It is a prayer which He will never reject ; for 
holiness of life, even after prolonged sin, is accepted 
for His sake, as the true way of glorifying Him. 

2. But next, if thus we must act upon and make our 
very own another part of that celestial anthem : 
' good-will towards men '< — Christmas-tide is a time 
for enlarging our charity — for healing up old wounds 
of strife and bitterness — for drawing closer to each 
other in the bonds of unity and love — for deepening 



CHEISTMAS; OR, NATIVITY WEEK. 



185 



and proving our sympathy with the sick, the sorrow- 
ful, the needy— it will spread forth into all the du- 
ties of our profession, all our opportunities of social 
intercourse, all occasions for lightening the burdens 
of others, and of helping on their joy. 

3. And so, lastly, will the blessed fruit of this 
holy gladdening time be found within us, in the 
peace which dwells in our hearts, through the true 
and living union with the gracious Son of- God— 
that peace which comes from God as the earnest of 
salvation, and the pledge of victory through that 
lowly Child, that glorious Son, Who is our Peace. 

G. E. J. 

THE CHRIST-MINDED MISSIONARY. 
" Years ago a missionary preached to the slaves of 
a West Indian plantation, but they could not listen 
to him because they thought he must be as cruel 
and hard-hearted as their oppressors. The mission- 
ary actually sold himself as a slave, and became of 
themselves that he might gain a hearing. They 
could not withstand such a proof of his love and 
were converted in great numbers. Yet his sacrifice 
was less than that of our Saviour," 

Readings. — Levit. (God's harvest in the Incarna- 
tion) xxiii. 3 to end. Deut. xxx. 6-10. xxxii. 1-6. Isa. 
vii. 10 to end. ix. xi. 1 11. xl. 1-9. li. 1-4. Hi. 1-12. 
lxiii. 7-9. Ixiv. 4-8. Jer. iii. 17-19. Mic, iv, 1-15. v. 



186 



CHRISTMAS ; OR, NATIVITY WEEK. 



2-5. S. Matt. 1. ii. 1-12. v. 43-48. xiii. 31-36. xviii. 
1-10. S. Marklx. 35-37. xiii. 3-13. S. Luke ii. 1-30. 
S. John 1. Rom. i. 1-7. Gal. iii. 15-22. iv. 1-7. Eph. 
vi. 10-18. Phil. ii. 5-10. iv. j-8. Col. i. 12-20. Tit. 
ii. 11 to end. iii. 4-9. Heb. i. 1-12. 1 John iii. 1-3. 
Rev. xxii. 6-12. The Athanasian Creed. Articles ii. 
ix. xv. xxvii. Homilies on the Nativity and the 
Miseries and Salvation of Mankind. 

Of the Eternal Word and His Eternal Generation, 
Ps. ii. 7. xix. 2. xxxiii. 6. xlv. 1. cxix. 89. cxlvii. 18. Isa. 
xl. 8. liii. 8. Iv. 10. 1 i u S. John i. 1. xiv. 2. 10. xvi. 28. 
xvii. 8. 25. 1 S. John i. 1, 7. Rev. i. 2. xix. 13. 

Of the Incarnation and Nativity <?/ Christ. Gen. 
xxiv. 2. xlix. 10. Ex. iv. 13. xxxi. 2. Num. xvii. 
2. xxiv. 17. Deut. viii. 15. Judg. vi. 37. xiii. 2. 1 
Kings viii. 12. Job xxxi. 35. xxxiii. 23. xxxviii. 6. 
Ps. ii. 7. lxxii. 6. lxxvii. 14. lxxx. 1. ex. 1. cxliv. 5, 
Prov. xxx. 4. xxxi. 10. Eccles. vii. 28. Cant. iii. 11. 
Isa. i. 9. ii. 2. iv. 1. vii. 14, viii. 1. ix. 6. xi. 1. xvi. 1 
xix. 1. xxviii. 16. xxxv. 4. xl. 9. xiii. 1. xlvi, 11. xlix. 
1. Hi. 13. liii. 8. liv. c. Iv. 4. Ix. 1. lxi. 1. lxii. 1. lxiv. 1. 
Ixv. 1. lxvi. 7. Jer. xiv. 8. xv. 10. xxiii. 5. xxxi. 22. 
Ezek. xxxiv. 23, 29. Dan. ii. 44. iii. 25. vii. 13. ix. 
24. Hos. i. 11. ii. 19. vi. 1. xi. 1. xiii. 14, xiv. 5. 
Joel ii. 23. Amos iv. 12. Jon. i. 2. Mic. i. 3, 15. v. 2. 
Hab. ii. 2. Hag. ii. 6. Zech. ii. 10. iii. 3, 8. viii. 23. ix, 
9. xiii. 1. Mai. iii. 1. iv. 2. S. Matt. iii. 17. S. 
Luke i. 30. S. A. 



CHEISTMAS ; OR, NATIVITY WEEK. 



187 



4 THE DIVINE PRESENCE. 

Never separate yourself from God. How sweet it 
is to live always near those who love us ! 

You cannot see God, but He is there, just as if 
some friend were separated from you by a curtain, 
which does not prevent His seeing you, and which 
at any moment may unfold and disclose him to your 
view. 

When the soul is unstained by sin, and if we re- 
main still and recollected, we can perceive God's 
presence in the heart, just as we see daylight pene- 
trating a room. We may not be always conscious of 
this Presence, but imperceptibly it influences all our 
actions. Oh ! however heavy may be the burden 
you have to bear, does it not at once become light, 
beneath the gaze of that Father's Eye ? 

The thought of. God is never wearisome ; why not 
always cherish it ? Go on without trembling, be- 
neath the Eye of God, never fear to smile, love, 
hope, and enjoy all that makes life sweet. 

God rejoices in our pleasures as a mother in the 
joys of her child. 

What is contrary to God's Will, grieves Him, and 
does you harm, that alone you need fear ; the 
thought that will stain your soul ; the wish that 
troubles your heart; the unwholsome action, that 
will weaken your intellect, and destroy your peace. 

Never long for what God sees fit to deny. 



188 



CHRISTMAS; OR, NATIVITY WEEK. 



God, beside you, will repair your blin*dness, pro- 
vide means, whereby you may (grow in grace. C. 
F. H.) wipe away the tears caused by some un- 
merited reproof, or unkind word. 

You have only to close your eyes for a moment, ex- 
amine yourself, and softly murmur, ' Lord, help me ! ' 

Can you not hear God's voice speaking to you ? 
What ! when He says : Bear this, I am here to aid 
thee j you will refuse ? 

He says ; Coiitinue another half hour the work 
that wearies thee j and you would stop ? 

He says ; Do ?iot that ; and you do it ? 

He says : Let us tread together the path to obedi- 
ence j and you answer No ? E. L. E. B. 

BETHLEHEM. 
4 There comes a galley sailing 

With amplest cargo stored, 
It bears God's Son most loving, 

The Lord's Eternal Word. 

That galley calmly floating, 
Bears freight of priceless cost; 

Love is the sail that wafts it, 
Its mast the Holy Ghost, 

The earth now holds the anchor, 

The ship to land hath won, 
God's Word our flesh hath taken, 

To mankind comes the Son. 



CHBISTMAS ; OR, NATIVITY WEEK. 



189 



In Bethlehem an Infant, 

Born in a manger stall, 
He gives Himself to save us, 

Then praise Him one and all. 

And whoso seeks that Infant 
In loving clasp to hold, 

Must first with Him bear anguish, 
And sorrows manifold. 



And then with Jesus dying, 

Again with Jesus rise, 
An heir of life eternal, 

Where Jesus gives the prize.' 

(An Ancient Hymn.) T. T. C. 

Films ii. xviii. xix. xx. xliv. xlv. xlvii. xlviii. Ixxii. 
lxxxiv. lxxxv. lxxxvii. lxxxviii. lxxxix. xciii. xcvi. 
xcvii. xcviii. xcix. ex. cxi. cxii. cxiii. cxv. cxviii. exxi. 
exxix. exxx. exxxi. exxxii. exxxviii. Selections viii. 
and x. 

Anthems.— Isa. ix. 2, 6, 7, Ix. 2, 3. Ps. ii, ex. 
S. Luke ii. 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14. 

Hymns. — 4. 16-28, 33. 40. 72. 80. 206. 223. 233. 
301. 33 6 - 346. 35 1 - 395- 4°6. 422. 424. 466. 472. 485, 

S°o- 5°3> 5 1 ?- 5 21 - 

Collects.— 1st and 4th in Advent. S. John Evan. 
Annunc. 6th after Epiph, 6th in Lent. Sept. 12th 
21st, 24th. 25th after Trinity. 1st after C. O. 



190 



CHRISTMAS; OR, NATIVITY WEEK. 



' Behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of 
it reached to heaven : and behold the a-ngeh of God 
ascending and descending on it.' Gen. xxv. 12. 
6 It came upon the midnight clear, 

That glorious song of old, 
From angels bending near the earth, 

To touch their harps of gold; 
Peace on the earth, good-will to men, 

From heaven's all-gracious King; 
The world in solemn stillness lay 
To hear the angels sing. 

Still through the cloven skies they come, 

With peaceful wings unfurl'd; 
And still their heavenly music floats 

O'er all the weary world: 
Above its sad and lowly plains 

They bend on hovering wing, 
And ever o'er its Babel sounds 

The blessed angels sing. 

O ye beneath life's crushing load, 

Whose forms are bending low, 
Who toil along the climbing way 

With painful steps and slow ! 
Look now, for glad and golden hours 

Come swiftly on the wing; 
O rest beside the weary road, 

And hear the angels sing. 



OHBISTMAS ; OK, NATIVITY WEEK. 



191 



For lo, the days are hastening on. 

By prophets seen of old, 
When with the ever-circling years 

Shall come the time foretold. 
When the new heaven and earth shall own 

The Prince of Peace their King, 
And the whole world send back the song 

Which now the angels sing/ 




192 



SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, ETC., OR 
FULFILMENT WEEK, 

He came not, with His heavenly crown, His sceptre 

clad with power, 
His coming was in feebleness, the infant of an hour; 
An humble manger cradled, first, the Virgin's holy 

birth, 

And lowing herds companioned there, the Lord of 
heaven and earth. 

He came not in His robe of wrath, with arm out- 
stretched to slay; 

But, on the darkling paths of earth, to pour celestial 
day, 

To guide in peace, the wandering feet ; the broken 

heart, to bind; 
And bear, upon the painful cross, the sins of human 

kind. 

And Thou hast borne them, Saviour meek ! and 

therefore, unto Thee, 
In humbleness, and gratitude, our hearts shall 

offered be; 

193 



194 



SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, ETC. 



And greenly, as the festal bough, that, on Thy altar 
lies, 

Our souls, our bodies, all be Thine, a living sacrifice! 

G. W. D. 

HOME COLLECT. 
O God, of heaven and earth, Who according to 
promise hast " ingodded " man, in the Person of 
Thy eternal Son, that in Him we might fulfil Thy 
blessed will, extend to us such fruit of Thy proceed- 
ing Spirit, that laying aside every weight in looking 
unto Jesus, we may with patience, meekness and 
joy, run the race before us, and at last find our 
place with Him, through the fame Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Amen. C. F. H. 

COMMENTS. 
When man had fallen, through the instrumen- 
tality of the devil, from the high estate in which 
God had created him, God, in the curse which He 
pronounced on Satan, declared of the woman taken 
from man, and of Christ, " I will put enmity be- 
tween thee (Satan) and the woman, and between 
thy seed and her seed; and it (in Christ) shall 
bruise thy head (or vital part), and thou shalt bruise 
His (Christ's) heel " (humanity, or lower part). 
For this purpose man was to be restored to his pri- 
mal innocence and made immaculate in Christ, 



FULFILMENT WEEK. 



195 



and through the incarnation (the ingodding of man) 
of Jesus the saved were to be exalted above the 
state of even the holy angels of whom Satan was 
formerly one. And now commemoratively speak- 
ing a 

" Short time amid this world of woe 

The Holy Babe has been, 
Long nam'd in Heaven, He now must go 
To take that Name on Him below— 

Jesus, who saves from sin. 

And in His hour of glory, now, 

That precious name is given, 
Above all names to deck His brow, 
And at the name of Jesus bow, 
The powers of heaven." 
Thus with Jesus ever in view, in His divinity, 
humanity, and glory, the Church prays in this day's 
Collect for our daily renewal, as children of grace 
in the gift of God's only begotten Sox, by His Holy 
Spirit. It is by this Holy Spirit, by whom Jesus 
in His humanity grew in wisdom and in favour 
with God and man, that we are to grow in grace- 
arid increase in power— 

" Children of His realm draw near, 
Make your covenant stronger still, 
From your hearts allegiance swear 
Unto Him Who conquer 'd ill. 



196 



SUNDAY AFTER CHEISTMAS, ETC. 



If your bonds are yet too weak, 
If but fragile yet they prove, 
Help from His good Spirit seek 
Who can still the charms of love." 
In the same spirit of looking unto Jesus the 
Epistle calls upon us to recognize the fulfilment of 
our heirship in Christ by whose Spirit in our 
hearts we cry, " Abba, Father." 

In the same spirit, for fulfilment of Prophecy in 
Jesus, the Gospel points us again to Jesus as the 
only Saviour of His people, shewing that God is 
thus with us, and that all who are lost are without 
God. Hence we may see the necessity of securing 
a Sdving interest in Jesus. Such is the gift of God 
which we commemorate this week, which I have 
designated in view of its teaching in its Collect, Epis- 
tle and Gospel, Fulfilment Week. 

Let then men and angels join and sing — 
Men. 

" Glory be to God on high: 

Beyond where dwells the evening star 

In his golden house afar; 

Where upon th' eternal noon 

Never look'd the silver moon; 

Thro' innumerable skies 

Multitudinous voices rise, 

And in harmonious concord meet, 

Around our Saviour's feet, 

Beneath mysterious veils descending from His seat. 



FULFILMENT WEEK. 



197 



Angels. 

Peace be upon earth below: 

God in His holy hill;. 

Let the earth and sea be still; 

And the child of sin and woe 

Come before Him, bowing low, 

In His breast the living One 

Makes His altar and His throne; 

He comes from Heaven's high citadel, 

With men on earth to dwell,— 

The pure in heart alone shall see th' Invisible, 

Men and Angels. 
Good will to men from God above: 
From dwellings of th' eternal Word, 

Whose house is immortality, 
He letteth down the triple cord, 

Of Faith, and Hope, and Love, from high ; 
And from His cradle to His throne 
Extends a living zone, 

Which binds anew the ancient heavens and earth, 
Now teeming with the throes of a more glorious birth/' 

C. F. H. 

The Lord's Day within the octave of Christmas 
carries on, of necessity, the idea of the preceding 
festival, forming a kind of ' Low Sunday ' to Christ- 
mas Day itself. There is no change of Collect, 
but the Epistle and Gospel strike a new chord in 



198 



SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, ETC. 



the harmony of the Eucharistic Scriptures. On 
Christmas Day they memorialized the condescension 
of the Word of God in becoming Son of Man: on 
this day they set forth the exaltation of human 
Nature by that condescension. On the one day, 
the Son of God is shown to us becoming the 
Son of Man; on the other, the sons of men are 
shown to us becoming the sons of God, through the 
adoption, won for them by the Holy Child Jesus. 
We are ' heirs of God through Christ,' because of 
the fulfilment of the promise conveyed by His 
Name, * He shall save His people from their sins.' 

J. H. B. 

Christ is born ! Tell forth His fame ! 
Christ from heaven ! His love proclaim f 
Christ on earth ! Exalt His Name ! 
Sing to the Lord, O world, with exultation ! 
Break forth in glad thanksgiving, every nation ! 
For He hath triumphed gloriously ! 

Man in God's own image made, 
Man, by Satan's wiles betrayed, 
Man, on whom corruption preyed, 
Shut out from hope of life and of salvation, 
To-day Christ maketh him a new creation, 
For He hath triumphed gloriously ! 

For the Maker when His foe, 
Wrought the creature death and woe, 



FULFILMENT WEEK. 



199 



Bowed the heavens and came below, (Ps. xviii. 9.) 
And in the Virgin's womb His dwelling making, 
Became true man, man's very nature taking: 
For He hath triumphed gloriously ! 

He, the Wisdom, Word and Might, 
God, and Son, and Light of light, 
Undiscovered by the sight 
Of earthly monarch, or infernal spirit 
Incarnate Avas, that we might Heav'n inherit; 
For He hath triumphed gloriously ! 

S. Cosmas, H. E. C. 

The great feast of our Saviour's nativity hath not 
only some days to go before and prepare for it, but 
likewise some to follow after it, to attend and adorn 
that great solemnity. Accordingly, this day being 
the first Sunday after Christmas, hath the same 
Collect to celebrate the mercy, and to continue 
the memory of it. 

The Epistle and Gospel likewise treat of the 
same subject; the birth of Christ: the one shewing 
us the time, the other the manner of it. 

As for the time, the beginning of the Epistle for 
this day tells us, that the Church was for some time 
in its infancy or childhood; during which time it 
was in bondage under the elements of the world, till 
in the fulness of time it was set free in the birth of 
a Saviour. 



200 



SUNDAY AFTEB CHRISTMAS, ETC. 



'Now I say/ saith the Apostle, v. i, 2, 'that the 
heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from 
a servant, though he be lord of all: but is under 
tutors and governors, till the time appointed of the 
father.' Even so the Church, during its minority, 
though heir of all the promises, and lord of all the 
blessings contained in them, was yet as a servant 
under the power and pupilage of the law, and to be 
trained up under the beggarly rites and rudiments 
of it; till He, Who was the substance of all those 
types and shadows, should come, to set it in a higher 
form, by the more spiritual and manly institutions 
of the gospel. And — 

4 When that fulness of time was come, God sent 
forth His Sqn, made of a woman, made under the 
law.' Where by the ' fulness of time/ we are to under- 
stand that happy period, when the date of all the 
promises and prophecies of the Messias was expired 
and run out: for if we look back even to the first 
foundation of the world, we shall find very early 
notices given of this Divine Person, which in the 
successive ages of the world, were renewed and im- 
proved into clearer revelations of Him. 

He was promised to Adam in Paradise, immedi- 
ately after the fall. Gen. iii. 15. 

And some hundreds of years after, to Abraham, 
Gen. xii. 3. 

After that to Moses, Deut. xviii. 15; then to 
Jacob, Gen. xlix. 10. 



FULFILMENT WEEK. 



201 



In further process of time, the prophets gave 
fuller and plainer revelations of Him, the light of 
prophecy shining more and more unto the perfect 
day of His actual appearance. 

The prophet Isaiah declared the person of whom 
He should be born, Isa. vii. 14. 

The prophet Micah foretold the place of His na- 
tivity, Mic. v. 2. 

The prophet Daniel fixed the time and period of 
His coming, Dan. lx. 14. 

The prophet Haggai, at the building of the second 
temple, declared, that the * desire of all nations 
should come, and fill that house with His glory/ 
Hag. ii. 7, And the prophet Malachi, the last of the 
prophets, that ' the Lord Whom they sought, should 
suddenly come to His temple/ Mai. iii. 1. 

Now, when the date of all these predictions was 
run out, and the measure of time appointed for His 
coming was filled up, then was the fulness of time, 
which happened to fall in exactly with the time of 
His appearance, the happy season we now commem- 
orate. 

For at this fulness of time, the Apostle here tells 
us, i God sent forth His Son/ He was, at that 
time, earnestly expected both by Jews and Gentiles; 
the question in every one's mouth then was, ' Where 
is He that should be born ? and is this He that 
should come ? ' They were at it at every turn, 



202 



SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, ETC. 



which shews they were all in a general expectation 
of Him, though they differed about the way and 
manner of His coming. 

The Jews who looked for a glorious and splendid 
Messiah, were gazing upwards, to see in what quar- 
ter of the heavens this ' Sun of Righteousness' 
would arise, and how they might be ready to receive 
Him with shouts and acclamations of joy. 

Others who had better studied and understood 
the prophets, were looking about to see in what part 
of the earth this ' Branch of the root of Jesse ' would 
spring up. But while the world was thus intent, 
and upon the rack of expectation, the angel Gabriel 
was sent from heaven to the Virgin Mary, to let her 
know that she was to be the mother of this great 
Person ; and that how strange and incredible the 
news might seem to her, yet He Who sent her this 
message was abundantly able, and would in due 
time certainly bring it to pass ; which she in a little 
time after, to the great joy and wonder of the world, 
found punctually accomplished. M. H. 

Upon the Incarnation of the Son of God was 
completed the prophecy of Isaiah that God was with 
us. But in what sense can this be true, if there 
were not a personal union of the two natures ? For 
if the natures were divided, it can no more be said 
that God was with us upon Christ's incarnation, than 



FULFILMENT WEEK. 



203 



than He had been at any time before. And if the 
human nature were absorbed, God cannot be af- 
firmed to be with us (that is, in our nature), but we 
with Goo. Stephens Sermon on the True Nature of 
Christ, pp. 9, 10. W. D, 

GO WORSHIP AT IMMANUEL'S FEET, 
Go worship at Immanuel's feet ; 
See in His face what wonders meet ; 
Earth is too narrow to express 
His worth, His glory, or His grace ! 

The whole creation can afford 
But some faint shadow of my Lord ; 
Nature, to make His beauties known, 
Must mingle colours not her own. 

Is He compared to Wine or Bread ? 
Dear Lord, our souls would thus be fed: 
That Flesh, that dying Blood of Thine, 
Is Bread of life, is heavenly Wine. 

Is He a Tree ? the world receives 
Salvation from His healing leaves ; 
That righteous branch, that fruitful bough, 
Is David's root, and offspring too, 

Is He a Rose ? not Sharon yields 
Such fragrancy in all her fields ; 



204 



SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, ETC. 



Or if the Lily He assume 

The valleys bless the rich perfume. 

Is He a Vine ? His heavenly root 
Supplies the boughs with life of fruit ; 
O let a lasting union join 
My soul the branch tu Christ the Vine! 

Is He the Head ? each member lives, 
And owns the vital power He gives ; 
The Saints below and Saints above 
Joined by His Spirit and His love. 

Is He a Fountain ? Then I bathe, 
And heal the plague of sin and death ; 
These waters all my soul renew, 
And cleanse my spotted garments too. 

Is He a Fire ? He'll purge my dross ; 
But the true gold sustains no loss ; 
Like a Refiner shall He sit, 
And tread the refuse with His feet. 

Is He a Rock ? How firm He proves ! 
The Rock of Ages never moves : 
Yet the sweet streams, that from Him flow, 
Attend us all the desert through. 

Is He a Way ? He leads to God ; 
The path is drawn in lines of Blood; 



FULFILMENT WEEK. 



205 



There would I walk with zealous will 
'Till I arrive at Zion's hill. 

Is He a Door ? I'll enter in ; 
Behold the pastures large and green ! 
A paradise divinely fair ; 
None but the sheep have freedom there. 

Is He designed a Corner Stone, 
For men to build their Heaven upon ? 
I'll make Him my Foundation too ; 
Nor fear the plots of Hell below. 

Is He a Temple ? I adore 
The indwelling majesty and power; 
And still to His most Holy Place, 
When'er I pray I turn my face. 

Is He a Star ? He breaks the night, 
Piercing the shades with dawning light ; 
I know His glories from afar, 
I know the bright, the Morning Star ! 

Is He a Sun ? His beams are grace, 
His course a joy, and Righteousness : 
Nations rejoice when He appears 
To chase their clouds and dry their tears. 

(Isaac Watts.) L, A. 

One day is not sufficient to celebrate the glorious 
estival of Christ's Nativity. The whole forty days 



206 



SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, ETC. 



which succeed in some measure keep up a spirit 
of holy and glorious gratitude ; but the octave, or 
eight days after Christmas-day, and the Sunday 
which falls within it, are most especially set apart for 
meditating on Christ's Incarnation, and the bene- 
fits we derive from it, as adopted children of God. 

Again on this day does the Gospel relate to us 
the mysterious narative of Christ's Birth. In it do 
we find the accomplishment of the prophecies read 
to us on Christmas-day. By the mighty power of 
God, the Son of God becomes Son of Man. God 
is made flesh; and dwells among us, redeeming and 
sanctifying His people, and in His very Name bring- 
ing salvation. 

The Epistle explains to us, by a type or figure, 
the blessed change which passed upon mankind at 
the Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Before that 
time the Church of God had been in bondage under 
the ceremonies and ordinances of the Jewish dis- 
pensation. Like an heir, who is not yet come to 
the enjoyment of his possessions, it knew not the 
fulness of its privileges (vs. 2, 3), for it saw Christ 
as through a glass darkly, through types and by 
figures ; and like a slave, whose service is one of 
hard tasks and great severity, it had been forced to 
obey by severe penalties, painful rites and burden- 
some institutions. Only when Jesus Christ was 
born into the world were God's people released from 



FULFILMENT WEEK. 



207 



this hard bondage, and translated into the ' glorious 
liberty of the children of God.' By Himself obey- 
ing all the ordinances of the law, and suffering what 
was due to them, as breakers of the law, He redeemed 
them from its curse, and became the ' end of the law 
for righteousness to all them that believe.' From 
servants they became sons; and, from holding their 
heavenly inheritance under tutors and governors, 
they became 'heirs of God, through Christ ' (v. 7). 
Well, therefore, may we hail with joy and gratitude 
unspeakable the day which brought Him down from 
heaven, giving life and light unto the world, bring- 
ing ' peace on earth, and good-will to men.' 

But the Collect goes on to teach us how He 
Whose infinite mercy bestowed such blessings on the 
world in general, has provided means whereby each 
one of His servants may apply them to himself. 

The Holy Sacrament of Baptism, by which we are 
regenerated or born again, has made us members of 
Christ, and therefore children of God, and inheri- 
tors of the kingdom of heaven. Every one whom 
God has brought into His Church by Baptism, has 
then a part in the benefits of Christ's Incarnation, 
and may call himself by no less a title than the 
adopted son of God (Collect). He is taken into 
God's family, trained up under His care, and daily 
' renewed ' (Collect) and sustained by that other 
Sacrament and those other means of grace which 



238 



SUNDAY AFTER CHSISTilAS, ETC. 



convey the Holy Spirit into the heart of God's 
adopted children. 

This is the thought which the Church would have 
with us at this holy season ; and as it is one which 
even the youngest of her members may bring home 
to himself, let us each strive to improve it to the 
best of our power. 

Let us realize to ourselves the high privilege of 
having been adopted into the family of God — of 
being permitted to call Him our Father — and to 
come to Him in all our wants and difficulties, 
through His Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. 

But amidst our blessings and our privileges, we 
must not forget our duties and our dangers. Those 
who share the rights and advantages uf a family, 
must also bear a part in its common duties, and 
join in resisting its common enemies; and so it is 
with the children of God. Having 'received the 
adoption of sons ' (Epis. v. 5.), their obedience is 
required by God under the Gospel as it was under 
the lav/, only it must be more willing and cheerful — 
as the obedience of a son is more willing and cheer- 
ful than that of a slave, and in their obedience they 
will meet with difficulty, and even with danger. 

G T. 

CALLED 

' Par 'takers of the heavenly calling. ,' — Heb. iii, 1. 
Holy brethren, called and chosen by the sovereign 
voice of might, 



FULFILMENT WEEK. 209 

See your high and holy calling out of darkness into 
light ! 

Called according to His purpose and the riches of 
His love ; 

Now to listen by the leading of the gentle heavenly 
Dove ! 

Called to suffer with our Master, patiently to run 
His race ; 

Called a blessing to inherit, called to holiness and 
grace ; 

Called to fellowship with Jesus, by the Ever-Faith- 
ful One ; 

Called to His eternal glory, to the kingdom of His 
Son. 

Whom He calleth He preserveth, and His glory they 
shall see ; 

He is faithful that hath called you ; He will do it ? 
fear not ye ! 

Therefore, holy brethren, onward ! thus ye make 

your calling sure ; 
For the prize of this high calling, bravely to the end 

endure. 

F. R. Havergal. 

The Collect is carefully expressed, in order that 
no misunderstanding may arise, respecting the doc- 
trine on which it is framed. The suppliant speaks 



210 



SUNDAY AFTEE CHEISTMAS, ETC. 



of himself as regenerate ; at the same time, he asks 
to be daily renewed by the Holy Spirit. He was 
regenerate at Baptism, for he was then born again 
of water and of the Holy Ghost, as a child of God 
and an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven, accord- 
ing to the holy ordinance of Jesus Christ Himself. 
Yet he admits, that even this regeneration cannot 
ensure him his heavenly inheritance, unless sanctifi- 
cation, then first promised, be daily renewed in him 
by the Holy Spirit, which is answerable to the 
second head of the baptismal vow, 'to believe all 
the articles of the Christian faith.' 

On this day, therefore, we meditate on the daily 
renewal of the Holy Spirit, the spirit of sonship or 
adoption abiding in our hearts, still commemorating 
the sacrament of Baptism and the new birth. 

(In) the Epistle the subject of our Lord's Nativity 
is still continued by the Church ; but it is considered, 
on this day, in connection with our new birth, and 
is to be spiritually understood. In this Epistle, S. 
Paul illustrates the different states designed for the 
Jews before and after the coming of our Saviour, 
by the example of an heir, before and after he is of 
age. 

The similitude of an heir, is taken from the 
Roman law ; by which it was ordained, that a pupil, 
nothwithstanding he was lord of all his father's in- 
heritance, should be kept under tutors and governors, 



FULFILMENT WEEK. 



211 



until he arrived at full age {Justinian Inst. tit. 
xx. xxiii): under tutors, until fourteen years, and 
curators, until five and twenty years. During his 
minority, he differed nothing from a servant; noth- 
ing, in respect of any possession or government of 
his own estate, having a right in law though not in 
deed. So the Jews were in bondage under the 
elements of the world, being obligated to burdensome 
rites and observances, by which they were taught, 
and by which they were kept in a state of subjection, 
as a child under tutors and governors. 1 When the 
fulness of time was come ' (v. 4), the love of Christ, 
which is the Christian's law, did away with all sense 
of servitude, and rendered his service that of perfect 
freedom through 'the spirit of adoption.' As our 
Lord Himself says, ' henceforth I call you not ser- 
vants ; for the servant knoweth not what his lord 
doeth.' St. John xv. 15. 

(In) the Gospel as in the Epistle St. Paul speaks 
of sons by adoption, that is, in distinction from 
Christ who is the Son of God by nature ; because 
in and through Him only are we made sons, and 
because God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son 
into our hearts; therefore the Gospel for the day 
proceeds to set forth Christ as the true and natural 
Son of God. For this reason, it does not speak of 
Christ after His birth (as the regular course after 
the Nativity might be expected to do), but before. 

A. G. 



212 



SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, ETC. 



The first great consolation of Christmastide is 
God's 4 unspeakable gift' of His dear Son, sent to 
take our nature upon Him, and to be a new Head 
to our fallen race. And on this depends that further 
comfort which is brought before us to-day — our 
adoption into the family of God, through our union 
with 'the Only begotten of the Father.' 

. . . By God the Son being made man He 
* was born of a woman — thoroughly in our nature, 
though miraculously conceived — as thoroughly one 
of us as Adam's son— and yet, being miraculously 
conceived, as truly a Father to us all, as Adam was 
himself. For ' Adam, which was the Son of God,' 
had no human parent, and yet in him began a line 
of living beings, begotten in his image, sharing in 
his deadly participation of the forbidden t*ee, and 
sharing also in his hope of restoration to life and 
bliss through the One Greater Man that was to come, 
the seed of the woman, which was to bruise the 
serpent's head and break the power of death and 
sin. And so, when the Holy One was born, He was 
a second Adam for all the children of the first. 
' Born that man no more may die, 
Born to raise the sons of earth, 
Born to give them second birth.' 

Only we must remember the one great difference 
between the first Adam and the second. Both had 
a body created for them by God Himself. Both 



FUUFmMENT TVEEK. 



213 



were very men, of a reasonable soul and human 
flesh subsisting: Both were to be Head for all man- 
kind. But 1 the first man was of the earth, earthly : 
the Second Man was the Lord from heaven ' — the 
first man had no existence till the Lord God formed 
his body out of the dust of the ground, and then 
gave him, and made him to be, 1 a living soul; ' but 
the Second Adam had a body prepared for Him, 
being already, and having been from all eternity, a 
living Spirit; and so, while the first was only a living 
soul in himself, and could only convey animal life 
to those who came after, the Second was also a 
1 quickening Spirit,' and could give eternal life to as 
many as received Him, and became, through union 
with Him, the sons of God. What a glorious truth 
this is for us, that, in order to give all of us the won- 
derful privilege of this Divine sonship, the only Sox 
of God 1 was made flesh, and dwelt among us.' (St, 
John i. 14.) G. E. J. 

1 Now all this was done y that it might be f ulfilled 
which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 
Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring 
forth a son, and they shall call His Name Emmanuel; 
which being interpreted, is, God with us.' 

Observe how Christ accomplishes prophecy. Not 
only is He Himself the fulfilment of the law and the 
prophets, but moreover it is He, Who, as God 3 



214 



SUNDAY AFTEE CHRISTMAS. ETC. 



inspired the prophets with what they were to write. 
It is He Who ordered beforehand, and caused to 
be published, all that He willed to be done on earth, 
and He willed to foretell it in detail, that He may 
set a seal upon His religion, which falsehood should 
never be able to withstand. It is He Who willed 
to be born of a pure and holy virgin-mother — it is 
He Who chose ail the circumstances of His Birth, 
His Life and Death, that we might not forget when 
we read of them, that all has thus taken place in 
order to fulfil prophecy. But when the prophecies 
relate to the sins of mankind, they are the effect, 
not of the choice of God, but of His Foreknowledge 
and of His Providence. Adore then the Son of 
Mary, Son of God, the absolute Master of time and 
of all events, faithful in the accomplishment of His 
promises, and the fulfilment of His word by the 
prophets. L. A. D. 

The Fulfilment of Our Personal Work in 
Looking Unto Jesus, and the Futility* of 
Changing Our Crosses. 

The painter who undertakes to copy some master- 
piece of art sits down before it, sketches the outline 
upon his own canvas, reproduces the colouring of 
the model, adds item by item to his picture, con- 
stantly looking upon the original, noting its qualities 
and the deficiences of his work, till, by scrupulous 



FULFILMENT WEEK. 



2!5 



care and untiring endeavour, he has produced a fac 
simile of the original. The Christian's work is 
kindred. He has had a better model, even Christ; 
but a harder task, for his canvas is treacherous and 
his work is life-long. Each one has his own work 
to do with Christ and should not complain. One 
complaining of the burden of life is represented as 
receiving instsuction from an angel in a dream. She 
was taken to a place where lay myriads of crosses, 
and told that she might exchange her own for any 
she chose. She laid aside her own, and took up a 
jewelled cross but soon began to totter under its 
great weight ; and was glad to lay it down, and take 
up another of chased gold. This was even heavier 
than the other. She next chose a cross of flowers ; 
but its thorns pierced her flesh, and became unbear- 
able. She said, 4 Why need I have any cross ? ' 
The angel answered, 4 No cross, no crown.' She 
discovered a plain cross, with the word 4 Love ' en- 
graved upon it in letters of gold, and took it up joyful- 
ly, saying, 6 1 can wear this.' She found that she had 
chosen her own old cross again ; it fitted her exactly, 
and she was convinced it was the best for her to 
bear. R. D. D. 

Readings. Isa. xxxv. xxxvii, xxxviii. xl. li. 15. 
lii. 3. S. Matt. i. ii. 13-23. iv. 18 to end. xvii. 1-13. 
S. Luke ii. xxii. John i. Rom. i. 1-20. ii. 1-14. I 



216 



SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, ETC. 



Cor. ii. Gal. i. ii. 5. iii. 11-15. lv - Heb. xiii. 

18-25. Homilies on the Misery and Salvation of 
Mankind. Articles ix-xvii. inclusive. See also Bible 
Common Place Book. 

Of what spirit and temper should we be who are 
made God's children by adoption and grace ? Rom. 
viii. 15. S. Matt. v. 44, 45, 48. Phil, ii, 15. Gal. 
iii. 26, 27. iv. 5, 6. 2 Cor. vi. 7, 8 ; with vii, 1. S. 
Luke vi. 35, 36. 1 Pet. i. 14-16. C. T. 

That we must cast off all vices ; or y that we must 
put off the Old Man and put on the New Man. 

Gen. xv. n. xli. 14. Rev. xiv. 8. 39. Deut. xx. 
19. Josh. xi. 11. Judg. vi. 25. II Kings xxiii. 4. 
19. Job. ii. 7. xi. 14. Ps. lxxviii. 56. lxxx. 9. 
Prov. xxv. 4. Jer. i. 10. iv. 3. Ezek. xxxvi. 26. 
Tob. viii. 3. xi. 11. Judith x. 3. I Mace. xliv. 3. 
xiv. 36. II Mace. iii. 3. xii. 38. S. Mark iii. 15. 
S. Luke viii. 2, 29. xi. 14. xxiii. 52. Acts ix. 18. 
Rom. xii. 2. xiii. 12. I Cor. v. 7. II Cor. iv. 16. 
Eph. iv. 22. Heb. xii. 1. S. A. N. 

THE FULFILMENT OF OUR MISSION IN THE 
TIME AND DAYS ALLOTTED TO US. 

To learn never to waste our time is perhaps one 
of the most difficult virtues to acquire. 

A well-spent day is a source of pleasure. To be 
constantly employed, and never asking ' What shall 
I do V is thp secret of much goodness and happiness. 



FULFILMENT WEEK. 



217 



Begin then with promptitude, act decisively, per- 
severe, if interrupted be amiable, and return to the 
work unruffled, finish it carefully — these will be the 
signs of a virtuous sou!. E. L. E. B* 

' The time is short J I. Cor. vii. 29. 

4 A few more years shall roll, 

A few more seasons come, 
And we shall be with those that rest 

Asleep within the tomb : 

Then, O my Lord, prepare 

My soul for that great day ; 
O wash me in Thy precious Blood, 

And take my sins away. 

A few more storms shall beat 

On this wild rocky shore, 
And we shall be where tempests cease, 

And surges swell no more : 

Then, O my Lord, prepare 

My soul for that calm day ; 
O wash me in Thy precious Blood, 

And take my sins away. 

A few more struggles here, 
A few more partings o'er, 
A few more toils, a few more tears, 
And we shall weep no more : 
Then, O my Lord, prepare 
My soul for that calm day \ 



218 



SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, ETC. 



O wash me in Thy precious Blood, 
And take my sins away. 

'Tis but a little while 

And He shall come again. 
Who died that we might live, Who lives 

That we with Him may reign : 

Then, O my Lord, prepare 

My soul for that glad day ; 
O wash me in Thy precious Blood, 

And take my sins away.' 

Psalms xviii. xliv. xlv. xlvii. lxxi. lxxxiv. lxxxvii. 
lxxxviii. xciii. xcv. xcvi. cxvii. cxix. cxxi. cxxix. 
cxxxi. Selection x. 

Anthems. Isa. ix. 2, 3, 6, 7, xxxv. S. Luke ii. 
8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14. 

Hymns 4, 16-20, 22, 25, 27, 61, 72, 93, 196, 206, 
233< 3°h 316, 326, 334, 340, 346, 352, 395, 422, 424, 
466, 472, 500, 521. 

Collects. 1st and 4th in Ad, 6th after Epiph. 
1 2th, 13th and 25th after Trim Annunc. S. Simon 
and Jude. 1st after C. O. Baptismal Office Prayers. 

1 LOVEST THOU ME.' 
John xx.i. 15. 
1 Hark ! my soul, it is the Lord ; 
'Tis thy Saviour hear His word, 
Jesus speaks, and speaks to thee — 
Say, poor sinner, lovest thou Me ? 



FULFILMENT WEEK. 



219 



I delivered thee when bound, 
And when wounded healed thy wound ; 
Sought thee wandering, set thee right, 
Turned thy darkness into light. 

Can a woman's tender care 
Cease toward the child she bare ? 
Yes, she may forgetful be, 
Yet will I remember thee. 

Mine is an unchanging love, 
Higher than the heights above, 
Deeper than the depths beneath, 
Free and faithful, strong as death. 

Thou shalt see My glory soon, 
When the work of grace is done ; 
Partner of My throne shall be ; 
Say, poor sinner, lovest thou Me ? 

Lord, it is my chief complaint, 
That my love is weak and faint ; 
Yet I love Thee and adore ; 
O for grace to love Thee more ! ' 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, 
ETC., OR CIRCUMCISION* WEEK. 

THE LAMB. 
Thou art a gentle and most loving Lamb, 
Wounded to give us balm; 
And still wherever sin doth reign 
Thou day by day art slain. 
When will man cease to give thee pain ? 

E. H. 

HOME COLLECT. 
O Holy Lord Jesus Whose name is sweet to the 
faithful and terrible to devils, and Who in receiving 
that blessed name f didst condescend to endure in 

* The Festival of Obedience, upon which we commemorate 
our perfect God, in His perfect manhood, submitting to the 
law for man— the first step in the path of suffering which was 
to make the Captain of our Salvation perfect. As to-day we 
kneel before the Altar, we see the first drops of Sacrificial 
Blood, the first stroke of the Sacrificial knife that was to slay 
the Lamb of God. (Austin's Devotions). 

f By the English Liturgy in use before the Conquest, it ap- 
pears that the church antiently included her devotion to the 
name of Jesus in her general service on the feast of the Circum- 
cision, that appellation having been given to our Lord, as 

221 



222 



SECOND SUNDAY A.FTEB CHRISTMAS. ETC. 



infancy the painful covenant of Circumcision, there- 
by teaching an obedient bearing of the Cross; grant 
us the grace neither to neglect Thy holy ordinances, 
nor the due application of them to others, that so 
fulfilling the same, and following Thee in all godli- 
ness of life, we may be brought through time to thy 
everlasting kingdom, where with the Father and 
the Holy Ghost, Thou lives 1 : and reignest, one God, 
for ever and ever. Amen. C. F. H. 

The year begins with Thee, 
And Thou beginn'st with woe, 

To let the world of sinners see 
That blood for sin must flow. 

Thine infant cries, 0 Lord, 

Thy tears upon the breast, 
Are not enough — the legal sword 

Must do its stern behest. 

directed by the angel, when He submitted to that rite. At subse- 
quent periods, the second Sunday after the Epiphany was ap- 
pointed expressly for that ceremony, with particular offices con- 
sidered appropriate to the occasion. Our Reformers annulled 
the offices, as superstitions and unnecessary; but, out of respect 
to established usage, they retained the name of the festival, 
which they removed from the second Sunday in Epiphany to 
this day, (the 7th of August 1 ) expunging for that purpose from 
our calendar the anniversary of St. Donatus, which was before, 
held on the 7th of August, and which, had, some time prior, 
been made the substitute for the anniversary of St. Afra. 
Brady's Clavis Cal. 



CULCO1CISI0N WEEK. 



Like sacrificial wine, 

Poured on a victim's head, 
Are those few precious drops of Thine, 

Now first to offering led. 

They are the pledge and seal 
Of Christ's unswerving faith, 

Given to His Sire, our souls to heal, 
Although it cost His death. 

In spirit may'st thou meet 
With faithful Abraham here, 

Whom soon in Eden thou shalt greet 
A missing father dear, 

Would'st thou a poet be, 

And would thy dull heart fain, 

Borrow of Israel's minstrelsy 
One high enraptured strain ? 

Come here thy soul to tune, 

Here set thy feeble chant, 
Here, if at all beneath the moon, 

Is holy David's haunt, 

Art thou a child of tears, 

Cradled in care and woe ? 
And seems it hard, thy vernal years 

Few vernal joys can show ? 



224 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER CELRISMAS, ETC, 



And fall the sounds of mirth 

Sad on thy lonely heart, 
From all the hopes and charms of earth 

Untimely called to part? 

Look here and hold thy peace; 

The Giver of all good 
Even from the womb takes no release 

From suffering tears and blood. 

If thou would'st reap in love, 

First sow in holy fear : 
So life a winter's morn may prove 

To a bright endless year. 

K. 

Ever since the fall of man to the influence of the 
arch-murderer Satan, in one sense or another, blood 
which is the life, in view of the great expiation and 
cleansing in Christ, has had a ceaseless flow— while 
Satan would drown us in this flood, in the providence 
and mercy of God it is the means by which the ever- 
lasting Church is floated above the waves of this 
troublesome world. Thus Satan is defeated with his 
own weapon. Such is both the penalty of sin and 
remedial punishment and atonement provided by 
God, looking to the cross — the apex of death — the 
apex of sacrifices — the apex of suffering — the apex 
of that blood which was first shed on this day in this 



CIRCUMCISION WEEK. 



225 



eighth day, the fulness of time. It was sin which 
brought the world into the state of which S. Paul 
speaks, when he subjectively declares of the suffer- 
ings of Christ which are behind "the whole creation 
groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." 
(Rom. viii. 22). It was not until after the flood, 
which was sent on account of the great and increased 
sinfulness of man that we read, " And God blessed 
Noah and his sons, and said unto them, be fruitful, 
and multiply, and replenish the earth. And the fear 
of you and the dread of you shall be upon every 
beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, 
upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all 
the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they de- 
livered. Every living thing that liveth shall be meat 
for you; even as the green herb have I given you all 
things!' (Gen. ix. 1, 2, 3.) Before this it had been said 
to Adam and Eve, "behold I have given you every herb 
bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, 
and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree, 
yielding seed ; to you it shall be for meat. And to 
every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, 
and t©- every thing that creepeth upon the earth, 
wherein there is life, I have given every green herb 
for meat." (Gen. 1. 29, 30.) 

" Physiologists (writes Stephen Alex. Hodgman 
in his Moses and the Philosophers) and those who 
have devoted attention to this study, will tell you 



226 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER CHBISTMAS, ETC. 



that the use ofaninnl food is not favorable to long- 
evity — I cannot dwell on this subject, but will invite 
attention for a moment to the vegetable diet of the 
ante-diluvians, who lived to such a great age. It is 
not, perhaps, generally understood, that the vegeta- 
tion of the former earth, was greatly superior to that 
of the present earth. But we are not entirely with- 
out facts or data that throw light on this subject. 
MalteBrun says of Egypt, a rainless country; ' The 
economical year presents a perpetual circle of labors 
and enjoyments. Every month in the year has its 
harvests. There is hardly a fruit, or flower, or grain, 
or plant, that grows anywhere on the earth, that is 
not cultivated in Egypt. Their diet is mostly veget- 
able. It is said that it costs less than three dollars 
to raise a child to maturity. The American coun- 
terpart of Egypt, in this physical condition, is Peru, 
the coast of which is a rainless district. In these 
rainless regions, the fruits are the richest and the 
most variegated, the flowers are the sweetest and the 
most beautiful. 

1 This is what Malte Brun says of rainless countries. 
And we have already seen, that the whole ante- 
diluvian earth was a rainless country (see Gen. ii. 5, 
6. C. F. H.) Another eminent naturalist says: 4 It 
is only in regions of little rain, but heavv dews, that 
the fruits of the earth attain the greatest perfection. 
Dewy Persia affords the richest peaches, almonds, 



CIRCUMCISION WEEK. 



227 



and nectarines, the most dainty iemons,pomegranates, 
citrons, melons, figs. Arabia the happy, with her 
deserts and her dews, furnishes fruits as exquisite as 
Persia, and as redolent with the odors of her spike- 
nard and saffron, her aloes, frankincense and myrrh, 
and her aromatic coffee.' 

Here the question might be asked — if animal food 
was not allowed before the flood, why was this new 
law, permitting the use of it, enacted just after the 
flood. I can conceive of two reasons: 

i. One is certainly to be found in the changed 
condition of the earth. Whereas, every acre of the 
primitive earth was covered with the richest soil, the 
new continents were the old ocean beds, much of 
which would require a lapse of hundreds or thou- 
sands of years, before they could be brought into a 
state of cultivation. Most of the land now cultivated, 
is covered with a loam or soil, from a few inches to 
a few feet in thickness, which has been formed since 
the upheaval. If we dig down through that thin 
coating of soil, we come to the original sea bottom — 
the bed of sand and gravel, or the limestone over 
which the ocean formerly flowed. There seemed, 
therefore, a necessity to extend the original grant, 
which allowed the use of vegetable food only, so as 
to include the use of animal food also, in order that 
the earth in its changed aspect, might feed a dense 
population. It seemed a necessary provision. 



228 SECOND SUNDAY AFTEB CHRISTMAS, ETC. 

"2. The subsequent history of the world, I think 
shows that there was another reason. After the 
waters of the deluge had subsided, God said that He 
would 6 not again curse the ground, any more for 
man's sake, because the imagina- ion of the thoughts 
of his heart was only evil continually/ And just 
before the flood, and as the reason for sending the 
flood, He had said almost in the same words, 4 I will 
destroy man from off the face of the earth, because 
that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart 
is only evil continually/ It seems as if God had 
said, man is vile still, and he will only be vile, though 
I should again drown the world for his sake. And I 
will not again curse the ground — but let him die in 
infancy— let him fall a victim to his own appetites- 
let him feed on whatsoever he will, that he may 
perish in the morning of life, and, this has been the lot 
of the race since the flood, the permission to eat 
anything and everything implied a curse as well as a 
blessing. It is sad to think that half the human 
family die before they are five years old. ,, 

C. F. H. 

Alas, how soon our sin 
Sore doth begin 

His infancy to seize! 
O more exceeding love, or law more just ? 
Just law indeed, but more exceeding love! 



CIECiniCISION WEEK. 



229 



For we by rightful doom remediless 

Were lost in death, till He that dwells above 

High throned in secret bliss, for us frail dust 

Emptied His glory,* even to nakedness ; 

And that great covenant which we still transgress 

Entirely satisfied, 

And the full wrath beside 

Of vengeful Justice bore for our excess, 

And seals obedience first with wounding smart 

This day, but O ere long 

Huge pangs and strong 

Will pierce more near His heart. Milton. 

In one to-day are blended the cradle and the 
cross of Jesus. i As the Saviour of the world, we 
considered Kim last Sunday; to-day we are called 
on to witness the first fulfilment of that promise, in 
the first outpouring of the Precious Blood. The 
first touch of the cross is felt to-day as the Holy In- 
fant mingles His cry of suffering at the circumcision 
with the song of angels at His birth. So does the 
Incarnate God, having humbled Himself to take our 
nature upon Him, as on Christmas Day, begin at 
once 1 His suffering life/ His share in, and sympathy 
with, our trials, pains and sorrow.' 

* Phil. ii. 7. In our translation, He made Himself of no 
reputation; but Milton's expression, Emptied His glory, is 
nearest the original. Rev. H. Stebbing. 



230 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, ETC. 



To-day we see the Lamb Himself, who, 'had been 
slain from the foundation of the world,' shedding for 
us the first drop of that Precious Blood which was 
one day to be poured out to the fullest measure on 
the bitter cross. Very fitting it is that the thought 
of this Ransom paid for the sins of the whole world 
should be the greeting with which the church meets 
the world's New Year, as she thus places the mark 
of the cross, dipped in the Blood of the Paschal 
Lamb, on the posts, as it were, of the threshold of 
the opening year. T. T, C. 

Each step in our Blessed Lord's life, from His 
nativity to His ascension, has its part in the great 
work of our redemption, and is, therefore, to be 
separately remembered with thankfulness and devo- 
tion. 

The first act of our Blessed Saviour's life was 
His circumcision. At eight days old He underwent 
this painful Jewish rite for our sakes, and to free us 
from the observance of it; therefore do we celebrate 
by a separate service, the day when our Redeemer's 
suffering released us from the severe penalties of the 
Mosaic law, and placed us under the merciful terms 
of the Gospel covenant. 

That we may the better understand what circum- 
cision was, and why our Lord underwent it we must 
look to the portions of His Scripture appointed for 
this day. 



CIRCUMCISION WEEK. 



231 



The history of its institution is read to us in the 
first lesson (Gen. xvii.) for this morning. This 
chapter shows us how God called Abraham from 
among his idolatrous neighbors, to make of him a 
great nation, which should keep alive His name, and 
out of which should in time proceed the Deliverer 
of mankind. It was His will that the people whom 
He thus set apart should be marked by a sign pecu- 
liar to themselves, by which they might be perpetu- 
ally reminded of the covenant existing between 
themselves and their Creator. Such a sign was 
circumcision. 

As being God's own special maik, it was a pledge 
of love and favor on His part; but, as implying 
something to be renounced or cast away, it was on 
their part a token of the entire devotion and self- 
renunciation which God would require at their 
hands. It is this second part of the covenant of 
circumcision which Moses would urge upon the 
chosen people. Thus were our fathers compelled to 
discharge the literal and painful part of this cove- 
nant, as well as the spiritual, and whoever did not, 
' that soul was cut off from Israel' (Gen. xvii. 14.) 

Thus does the church show us how every step in 
the Redeemer's life is to advance us one step in our 
spiritual growth. His birth in the flesh spoke to us 
of our new birth in the spirit. His first act in the 
flesh teaches us that the first act of our Christian 



232 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, ETC. 



life is to cut off and mortify all worldly and carnal 
lusts, so that our hearts and all our members may in 
all things be made obedient to His blessed will. 

C. T. 

Hours and days, and months, and years, 

Come and go, arise and fall, 
Gains and losses, smiles and tears 

Freely scatter'd through them all: 
O my Saviour! let them be 

(Radiant with thy lhe divine) 
Spent in better serving Thee, 

And becoming wholly Thine. 

O'er the threshold of the year, 

Sprinkled with Thy precious blood, 
Let me draw to Thee more near, 

Made by Thee more wise and good; 
O my Saviour! when this soul 

Proudly would its way pursue, 
Let Thy sorrow's soft control 

Gently chasten and subdue. 

J. S. B. M. 

i. When eight days were come, the holy Jesus was 
circumcised, and shed the first fruits of His blood ; 
offering them to God like the prelibation of a sacri- 
fice, and earnest of the great seas of effusion de- 
signed for His passion, not for the expiation of any 



CIRCUMCISION WEEK. 



233 



pain Himself had contracted; for He was spotless 
as the face of the sun, and had contracted no 
wrinkle from the aged and polluted brow of Adam; 
but it was an act of obedience, and yet of choice and 
voluntary susception, to which no obligation had 
passed upon Him in the condition of His own per- 
son. For as He was included in the verge of Abra- 
ham's posterity, and had put on the common outside 
of His nation, His parents had intimation enough to 
pass upon Him the sacrament of the national cov- 
enant, and it became an act of excellent obedience, 
but because He was a person extraordinary, and 
exempt from the reasons of circumcision, and Him- 
self in person was to give period to the rite, there- 
fore it was an act of choice in Him, and in both the 
capacities becomes a precedent of duty to us ; in 
the first, of obedience; in the second, of humility. 

2. But it is considerable, that the holy Jesus, Who 
might" have pleaded His exemption, especially in a 
matter of pain and dishonor, yet chose that way 
which was most severe and regular ; so teaching us 
to be strict in our duties, and sparing in the rights 
of privilege and dispensation. We pretend every 
indisposition of body to excuse us from penal duties, 
from fasting, from going to church ; and instantly 
we satisfy ourselves with saying, 'God will have 
mercy, and not sacrifice ;' so making ourselves judges 
of our own privileges, in which commonly we are 



234 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, ETC. 



parties against God, and therefore likely to pass un- 
equal sentence. It is not an easy argument, that 
will bring us to the severities and rigours of duty; 
but we snatch at occasion of dispensation, and 
therefore possibly may mistake the justice of the op- 
portunities by the importunities of our desires. — Not 
every inconvenience of body is fit to be pleaded 
against the inconvenience of losing spiritual advanta- 
ges, but only such which upon prudent account 
does intrench upon the laws of charity; or such 
whose consequent is likely to be impediment of a 
duty in a greater degree of loss than the present 
omission. Bp. J. T, 

Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day, for the 
eighth day is the coming in of that which is spiritual; 
the seventh speaks of that which is temporal, the eighth 
of that which succeeds to it, which is eternal : the 
seventh is of the Law; the eighth is of the Gospel, and 
the Resurrection of Christ. The circumcision is 
the Gospel in secret and in mystery; for it was sig- 
nificative of the cleansing from sin, of the putting 
off the old man; ' the stripping off the old birth/ as 
S. Athanasius calls it, and the signs of the future 
Baptism through Christ/ It was the type of that 
true circumcision in Christ which S. Paul speaks 
of, ' a circumcision made without hands, in putting 
oft* the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circum- 



CIRCUMCISION WEEK. 



235 



cision of Christ; being buried with him in Bap- 
tism: — 4 the circumcision of the heart in spirit, not 
in the letter.' And therefore it was on the eighth 
day, the day of Christ's resurrection, on which 'the 
glowing gift of the full and perfect circumcision 
poured itself upon the human breast.' And as S, 
Cyril says, 'On the eighth day Christ rose from the 
dead, and conveyed unto us a spiritual circumcision/ 
saying, ' Go ye and teach all nations, baptizing 
them.' 

It was therefore on the eighth day, to which the 
seventh day of the Law gave way, for the Sabbath 
was set aside in order that the eighth day of circum- 
cision might be kept; on the seventh day the walls 
of Jericho fell down, that the Israelites might on 
that day enter into the enjoyment of their earthly 
Canaan; on the eighth day the Captain of our salva- 
tion, being made perfect through suffering, trampled 
under feet all the power of the enemy. In token of 
which, even now, on the eighth day His garments 
are dyed with blood. ' When the seven thunders 
have uttered their voices, ' the Angel which stands 
upon the sea and upon the earth,' lifted up his hand 
to Heaven, and swore by Him that liveth for ever 
and ever,' 'that there should be time no longer.' In 
the days of the voice of the Seventh Angel, the 
mystery of God shall be finished; when seven angels 
had poured forth seven vials of wrath, there came a 



236 



SECOND SETvDAY A PTE P. CHRISTMAS, ETC. 



voice saying, 1 It is done.' (Rev. x. 6; xvi. 17.) 
Seven were the years of the Egyptian plenty; 
and seven the years of famine that ensued, 
seven years did Jacob serve for his wives ; seven 
years for Leah, and seven for Rachel; seven were 
the days of mourning for the dead; seven months 
was the act with the Philistines ; seven years was 
Solomon building the temple; seven were the days 
of separation and legal uncleanness; seven times did 
Naaman the unclean leper wash in the river Jordan. 
(II Kings v. 14.) The flood, the type of Christian 
Baptism, came after seven days of warning, and 
Xoah the eighth person was saved: much more then 
is circumcision itself also, as the type of Baptism, 
on the eighth day, and fulfilled in Christ, Who is 
the eighth Himself, the Resurrection, 'the First and 
the Last.' Thus of the first-born of oxen and sheep 
it is ordered, 'seven days it shall be with its dam; 
on the eighth day thou shalt give it Me.' And in 
the Law it is said to the High-Priest, 'seven days 
shalt thou prepare a goat for a sin-offering,' and 
'seven days shall they purge the altar,' and 'upon 
the eighth day the Priest shall make the peace-offer- 
ings, and I will accept them.' (Ezek. xliii. 27.) 
And what is the peace-offering that shall be accepted 
on the eighth day, but He who is 'our peace'? And 
what sacrifice shall be truly acceptable but the First- 
born ? v Every male that openeth the womb shall 



CIRCUMCISION WEEK. 



237 



be called holy unto the Lord/ But how holy ? for 
as Job says, ' how can he be clean who is born of a 
woman ?' they were only holy in figure and type of 
Him of Whom the Angel said, ' that Holy Thing 
which is born of thee shall be called the Son of 



The eighth day (is) the day of Christ's resurrec- 
tion; the first day of the new creation, like the be- 
ginning of new year to a Christian, — the new ever- 
lasting year, whereby, being ' dead with Christ' he is 



When our Lord came to John to be baptized, He 
gave this reason, Thus it becometh us to fulfil all 
righteousness. In taking Christ for our pattern, 
then, we must follow His example — neither by pre- 
cept nor example Has he taught us to be indepen- 
dent of the ordinances of the Church. 

This teaching (is) much needed now, because 
when people have their consciences aroused, or their 
feelings quickened, they are often inclined to despise 
the ordinary ministration of religion. They wish to 
aspire to a life of pure contemplation, or spiritual 
ecstacy. But our Saviour guards us against these 
hallucinations. He became obedient to the law for 
man, and the disciple must not be above his Master. 
There is a growing disposition to break loose from 



God.' 



J. W. 



' alive unto God.' Rom. vi. 8, n. 



A. G. 



23S 



SECOND SUNDAY ASTER CHRISTMAS, ETC. 



the restraints of old beliefs and practices. Why 
baptize, say some if you have the true baptism of the 
Spirit? Why partake of the material elements of 
Bread and Wine, if you can feed on Christ in your 
hearts ? Why submit to an ordained ministry, if you 
can evolve all necessary truth for yourself from the 
Bible ? Why attend to the appointed ordinances of 
the church, if you can get what suits you better 
elsewhere? Why be so careful about kneeling or 
bowing, why have places set apart for Divine wor- 
ship; if you can worship anywhere or, everywhere, 
just as w T ell or better ? But the answer is plain. 
4 Our Lord became obedient to the law for man, and 
He knew what was best.' S. A. 

The circumcision is in fact the octave of Christ- 
mas, which has the incident of that day added to 
the commemoration of Christmas to do the more 
honour to the festival of our Lord's nativity. Its 
observance as New Year's Day ought not to eclipse 
its religious observance as a church festival in honour 
of our Divine Redeemer. The year began on March 
25th until 1752, when an act of Parliament changed 
New Year's Day to January jst. 

J. H. B. 

Circumcision commencing in the days of Abra- 
ham, in the year of the world 217S, and several 
centuries anterior to the promulgation of the law on 



CIECUMCISION WEEK. 



239 



Mount Sinai,— was the first legal ordinance enjoined 
upon the Jews, in the person of their patriarchal 
ancestor and representative. It was the seal of a 
covenant stipulated between God and Abraham — on 
God's part to bless Abraham and his posterity; on 
theirs, to become and continue His faithful and 
obedient people. Abraham was ninety-nine years 
of age when, in obedience to the divine appoint- 
ment, he circumcised himself, his son Ishmael, and 
all the males of His family. But for the future, the 
rite was to be administered the eighth day after 
birth. 

The precept first given to the patriarch Abraham 
was repeated to Moses upon the occasion of the in- 
stitution^ the Passover, to which feast, submission 
to the rite of circumcision was made a condition of 
acceptance. This condition was binding not on the 
Jews alone, but also on all strangers who wished to 
qualify themselves to be partakers of it. . . Cir- 
cumcision was the sign of a peculiar grace and 
privilege, the distinguishing mark of the most illus- 
trious aristocracy the world ever saw — the one aris- 
tocracy whose members have held their patents 
directly and visibly from the hand of God Himself. 
There is little wonder that the Jews should tena- 
ciously observe and habitually vaunt an institution 
which gave them rank, as being in closer rapport 
with heaven, over any and every nation. They car- 



240 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, ETC. 



ried, indeed, their sense of its dignity and importance 
so far as to make ' circumcison' inclusive of all that 
was patriotic, pure, just or honourable ; and con- 
versely to make the term 'uncircumcision' inclusive 
of all that was alien, impure, worthless, or imperfect 
(Ex. vi. 12 and 30; Jer. vi. 10; Acts vii. 51). The 
idea of giving their sister to one that was uncircum- 
cised chafed the proud hearts of the sons of Jacob 
(Gen. xxxiv. 14); as the contemplated marriage of 
Samson with a Philistine woman grieved the spirits 
of his parents (Judges xiv. 3); and the prospect of 
being thrust through by the uncircumcised victors 
at Gilboa was one of so much bitterness that the 
warlike Saul, unbent though broken, did not shrink 
from anticipating it by self-immolation (1 Sam. xxxi. 
4). It is needless to multiply illustrations; for 
they are to be found not rarely along the whole 
course of Jewish history. Circumcision was in short, 
the very life of a Jew, as a citizen and an individual, 
so far as that life was outward and phenomenal; as 
it was the symbol of His national and individual 
life, so far as that life was inner and spiritual. 

There was no ordinance of the! cremonial law 
which Christ did not honour by fulfilment before 
His death accomplished its abrogation — and the " 
first example, He could give of His obedience was 
His submission to the rite of circumcision. 

Being sinless and spotless, Christ had no personal 



CISCUMCTSIQN WEEK. 



241 



need of circumcision; but in humbling Himself to 
the assumption of human nature He humbled Him- 
self to all its disabilities, and consented to bear the 
shame, though free from the reality, of sin. . . . 

' This day Thy flesh, oh Christ, did bleed, 

Marked by the circumcision knife; 
Because the law, for man's misdeed, 

Required the earnest of Thy life ; 
Those drops divined that shower of blood, 

Which in Thine agon/ began; 
And that great shower foreshowed the flood, 

Which from Thy side the next day ran. 

Then through that milder sacrament, 

Succeeding this, Thy grace inspire; 
Yea, let Thy smart make us repent, 

And circumcised hearts desire. 
For he that either is baptized, 

Or circumcised in flesh alone, 
Is but as an uncircumcised, 

Or as an unbaptized one. 

The year anew we now begin, 

The outward gifts received have we; 

Renew us also, Lord, within, 

And make us new year's gifts for Thee: 

Yea let us with the passed year, 



242 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, ETC. 



Our old affections cast away; 
That we new creatures may appear, 
And to redeem the time essay/ 
{George Wither.) 

A. H. G. 

Our Lord would not pass many days after His 
Birth without shedding the First-Fruits of that 
Blood, which He was afterwards to pour forth 
abundantly for us, and to offer to the eternal 
Father for our redemption. Therefore on the eighth 
day, as God had commanded Abraham, He sub- 
mitted to the law of circumcision, being Himself 
the author of that law, and on many accounts wholly 
exempt from it. Firstly, because it was instituted 
as a sign of faith in the coming Messiah whom the 
Israelites expected ; and in circumcision they pro- 
fessed a determination to live in the hope, faith and 
love of Him who should come to save them. Now 
Christ our Lord being He, in Whom they professed 
to believe, the promised Son of God made man, 
there was no greater than He, in whom He could, 
by circumcision, declare His faith and hope. More- 
over, circumcision was the sign which God gave to 
Abraham, and to all his descendants in the line of 
Isaac his son, of the covenant made with him, in 
which God bound Himself to be called the God of 
the people of Israel, his descendants, and in him, 



CIRCUMCISION WEEK. 



243 



Israel, his descendants, bound themselves to have no 
other God but Him. And thus they became the 
chosen people of God, at a time when all other 
peoples of the world were, for their idolatry, cast 
out; and the sign of their being thus the chosen 
people of God, was circumcision. Now since 
Christ our Lord came into the world, to put an end 
to this exclusive covenant, and to set up one fold into 
which all the nations of the world should be equally 
called to enter, and from whom should be elected, 
without respect to nations or people, all who live 
and die in the faith and love of Christ, He was 
altogether free from the sign of a covenant, which 
He, its Maker, was about to alter and enlarge. More- 
over by this circumcision of the flesh God bound 
those who received it, to the true circumcision of 
the heart, and to the cutting off of all wordly and 
carnal lusts, and to the obedience of His law. But 
our Lord Christ being in Himself, Infinite Purity 
and Perfection, not only had nothing, within, to be 
cut off and cast away, but Himself is the Purifier of 
all souls; having then, nothing in Himself to be re- 
formed, there was nothing to oblige Him to take 
upon Himself the sign which bound Him to that 
reform. Above all, circumcision was a sacrament 
of the old Law, by means of which, through confes- 
sion made, by the recipient, of faith and hope in the 
Messiah and of obedience to the Law of God, the 



244 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, ETC. 



guilt of original sin was forgiven. Hence this sacra- 
ment was a sign of and a remedy for sin. But Christ, 
both as God and as man, was without sin, and in- 
capable of sin, and Himself was the author of Grace 
and the Giver of pardon, as the Lamb of God which 
taketh away the sins of the world. As then, He 
could not sin, so could He not be bound to undergo 
the rite which was given as a remedy for sin, On 
the contrary, it was the very greatest abasement of 
Himself to submit to a law, intended as a remedy 
for an evil so utterly incompatible with and contrary 
to His nature, as sin. But the Divine Love, which 
nothing can harm, found no opportunity amiss to 
manifest itself, and to humble itself even to that 
which was the most opposed to its Divine Majesty. 
For its Power and Greatness are so much the better 
realized, as the things, in which it operates, are the 
more opposed and contrary to itself. For this rea- 
son our Lord did not so much endeavor to manifest 
His love for us by deeds of vastness and grandeur, 
as to make us understand it by those acts of degre- 
dation and humiliation, to which He, for that Love's 
sake, submitted for us. Of all which actions the 
most humbling and degrading was the taking upon 
Himself the form of a sinner, not merely by becom- 
ing a child of Adam and of the same flesh with him, 
but by consenting to undergo the penalties and reme- 
dies provided for the cleansing of sinners. 



CTRCTJMCISTON WEEK. 



215 



. . % . There is one consideration, which ap- 
pears to me especially to magnify the obligation 
which we all owe to our Lord for having been 
willing to take upon Himself, in circumcision, the 
form of a sinner and the punishment of sin, and to 
show that we owe Him more for this, than for all 
His other sufferings and labours. It is, that in all 
His other acts there was always mingled with them 
something which shone thro igh the humiliation to 
which He submitted, and bore testimony to His 
hidden Majesty. If, for instance, He was born 
crying and shivering with cold* like all the children 
of sin, the Angels, Shepherds and — (wise men hon- 
oured Him as the Christ). When He was presented 
in the Temple with the oblation of a sinner, the holy 
Simeon and the prophetess Anna (did the same), 
When He was baptized in the river Jordan as a sin- 
ner, the voice of the Almighty Father, and the 
Holy Spirit in the shape of a Dove, as well as 
the testimony of the Baptist, bore witness to His 
being the Son of God. In His temptation in the 
wilderness, He was ministered to by Angels. If He 
showed His human weakness by weariness and by 
the sweat of His brow, His miracles bore witness to 
His Divinity. When He suffered Himself to be taken 
captive in the garden, He first by the power of His 
Name, caused His enemies to fall to the ground. 
Even — when He was crucified, (heaven and earth and 



2^6 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER CHEISTMAS, ETC. 



man did testify to his being)— the Son of God. In 
the circumcision alone He seemed entirely to forget 
Himself and His honour. Here were neither angels 
nor miracles nor any who should proclaim Him to 
be another than He seemed to be. For herein He 
would satisfy His Love, in its desire to be altogether 
mingled with us, become as one of us; knowing that 
if He could by this knit our hearts to Himself, time 
sufficient would remain to teach us to know and 
understand what He truly was. F. T. D. J. 

Our blessed Lord submitted to be circumcised 
that He might be obedient to the law for man; that 
is, He underwent circumcision, in order that He 
might render an entire obedience to God's Law out- 
wardly as well as inwardly, and so might offer to 
the Father an acceptable sacrifice for the sins of 
mankind; for, if He had not Himself been perfectly 
sinless and obedient, He could not have made 
atonement for our transgressions. 

. , . . But although in His sinless Infancy, 
the Sox of God bore the pain and shame of circum- 
cision for us, yet He lays not this burden upon us 
now. We belong to Him, and are admitted to His 
gracious covenant, by the blessed holy and spiritual 
sacrament which He ordained, and which flowed 
forth for us from His sacred Side as He hung upon 
the cross. No painful rite have we to endure, no shed- 



CIRCUMCISION WEEK. 



247 



ding of blood does He require of us; that we may 
be His members, the children of God, and heirs of 
His kingdom. He washes us in Baptism from the 
guilt of Adam's sin, and by the holy sign of the 
Cross in our foreheads he marks us for His own. 
But if we would remain thus, we too must partake 
in spirit of His circumcision, although not outwardly 
in our flesh — -we must mortify our bodies and spirits 
from all that is wrong and sinful; we must root out 
every evil thought from our hearts, and we must 
cast away every evil desire from our minds. We 
must bear our Cross daily in meekness, patience and 
self-denial, remembering that the true circumcision 
or the spirit to which our Baptism has called us, is 
' the putting off the body of the sins of the flesh/ and 
striving daily to be more and more holy unto our 
lives' end. 

It was most fitting, that on occasion of the first 
shedding of His Precious Blood for sinners, our 
blessed Lord should receive the Name of Jesus, 
Saviour, the pledge of the fulfilment of the Angel's 
promise that He should ' redeem His people from 
their sins;' for i without shedding of blood there is 
no remission,' and so it was, that in this hour of 
suffering and humiliation, that Name was bestowed 
on Him 'which is above every Name;' the Name (at) 
which angels adore, and saints love to worship, and 
penitents plead as their only hope before the mercy 



248 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, ETC. 



seat, and at which the devils tremble; for ' at the 
Name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of things in 
Heaven, and things on earth, and things under the 
earth!' " The Holy Child Jesus." 

The circumcision of our Lord reminds us that in 
Him we are circumcised spiritually ; and that the 
fact that He* was baptized as well as circumcised for 
man, should teach us that He obverved the precepts 
of the Law in oider to make us as believers obedient 
to the requirements of the Gospel. 
6 By blood and water too 

God's mark is set on Thee, 
That in Thee every faithful view 
Both covenants might see.'* 

And S. Paul shows, in his Epistle to the Colos. 
sians, that these acts of our Divine Redeemer have 
indeed a remarkable reference to us Christians; for 
when he tells us that we are complete in Christ, he 
adds: ' In whom also ye are circumcised with the 
circumcision made without hands in putting off the 
body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of 
Christ: buried with Him in baptism, wherein also 
ye are risen with Him through the faith of the oper- 
ation of God Who hath raised Him from the dead. 
And you being dead in your sins and the uncircum- 



* ' The Christian Year/ 



CTRCUMCISION WEEK. 



249 



cision of your flesh, hath He quickened together 
with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses (Col. 
ii. 10-13.) 

In Christ Jesus, then, though only in Him, bap- 
tism answers to circumcision; and it is a just anal- 
ogy which suggests to us that the one holds the 
same place in the covenant of faith which was held 
by the other in the covenant of works. 

Now there is one point, rot originally an essential 
part of either rite, though always connected with 
each of them — the giving of a name. This was al- 
ways connected with each, a Christian must have a 
Christian name, which must be given him when he 
is made a member of Christ. —Surnames, that is 
the names we bear over and above our Christian 
names, only go back to about the time of the Cru- 
sades, some eight hundred years ago; but Christian 
names begin with Christ the Good Shepherd, who 
'calleth His own sheep by name, and leadech them 
out/ and who bids His disciples 1 rejoice because J 
their 1 names are written in heaven/ and who en- 
courages everyone that overcometh with this blessed 
promise: ' I will not blot out his name out of .the 
Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My 
Father, and before His Angels.' (Rev. hi. 5.) 

It is on (the) name Jesus, as brought before us 
in the Holy Gospel, that we will dwell awhile— It 
stands, as it were, between His Divine name, the 



250 SECOND SUNDAY AFTER CHKISTMAS, ETC, 



glory of which it shares, and the name of His office, 
with which after His baptism, it was always to be 
connected. The Divine nature by which He 
was known in heaven, was 4 the Word/ or the 
Eternal Wisdom of God. The name which marked 
Him out for His threefold office of Prophet, Priest, 
and King, was ■ Christ,' or Anointed of God, 
called in Hebrew i Messias.' But the name of Jes*js 
was His personal human name, which yet told all 
the world,— of His unspeakable Majesty, and His 
most blessed salvation. For it means 6 the Lord 
the Saviour/ stress being laid, in the angels pre- 
diction, on the saving power possessed by the Babe 
Himself, 4 Thou shall call His Name Jesus, for He 
shall save His people from their sins.' (S. Matt. i. 
21, avro? is emphatic.) It is very necessary that 
we should notice the way in which the gracious 
name came to belong to our Redeemer. First, some 
1400 years before, this name was granted to one who 
was a most eminent type of Christ — Joshua the son 
of Nun, the leader who succeeded Moses, and who 
brought the children of Israel into the promised 
land. Originally, he was called Oshea, or Salvation,, 
but Moses added to this the great name of God, 
Jah or Jehovah, and so he became Jah-oshea, or; 
Jehoshua, or Joshua. — The Lord is Salvation.' 
(Num. xiii. 16; xiv. 16.) Both by his name and by 
his work he remarkably foreshowed that great Cap-, 



CTECU3ICISI0N WEEK. 



251 



tain of the Lord's host, Whom once in angelic form 
he met, (Josh. v. 14.) that glorious 'Captain of our 
salvation/ (Heb. it, 10.) through whom alone we 
overthrow our enemies. To the Gospel, not to the 
law, was it given to save our souls, and to bring us 
into the land of rest. To Joshua, not to Moses, was 
given the renewed command of circumcision- 
emblem of Him through Whom alone we receive the 
circumcision of the heart. (Rom. ii. 28.) To 
Joshua, not to Moses, was it permitted to bring 
them to Canaan, to conquer the accursed nations, 
and to -divide their land by lot for the redeemed 
(Josh. xiv. 1, 2.) — a striking image of Him in Whom 
only we can attain to heaven, through Whom only 
we can vanquish our spiritual foes, and by Whom 
alone we can have a place prepared for us in the 
' many mansions' of our Father's house. (For 
other particulars of the correspondence between 
type and anti-type, see Peason on the Creed, Art. ii.) 

. . . . How holy is the name of Jesus ! It 
contains, — the name of God. This, indeed, would 
not necessarily render it an object of Divine wor- 
ship; for if we take the sixteen prophets, we find 
one of the great names in eleven of the number — 
thus: Isaiah, 'salvation of the Lord;' Jeremiah, 
' lifted up by the Lord;' Ezekiel, 1 the strength of 
God;' Daniel, k God is my judge;' Joel, 'the Lord 
is God;' Obadiah, 1 servant of the Lord;' Micah, 



252 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, ETC. 



'who is like unto the Lord;' Zephaniah, 'who is 
like unto the Lord;' Haggai, 'festival of the 
Lord;' Zechariah, 'remembered of the Lord;' 
Malachi, 'angel or messenger of the Lord.' So too 
the great miracle working prophets, Elijah, ' God 
the Lord;' and Elisha, ' God the Saviour/ But 
the name of Jesus, as borne by the everlasting Son 
of the Father, implies much more than any of them 
—it is the name of one who is equal to the Father, 
and Who testifies thus of Himself and of Him, 'The 
Father is in Me, and I in Him.' 

G. E. J. 

On Christmas Day we celebrate the Birth of 
Christ. On January i, we observe the day of His 
Circumcision, a ceremony of the Jewish Church 
which corresponds to baptism among ourselves. By 
this ceremony Jesus was made a member of the 
Jewish Church, just as by baptism we are made 
members of the Christian Church; and as at baptism 
with us, a name is given to the child baptized, so at 
the ceremony of circumcision a name was given to 
the Jewish child. 

. . . Our Lord had another name, namely 
Christ — It was not so much a common name as an 
official title, that is a title attached to and describing 
an office which he held. The word Christ means 
the anointed one — that is the man solemnly set apart 



CIECUMCISION WEEK. 



253 



and consecrated for the service of God and man, 
and anointed with oil in sign of His holy office. 

Rev. H. V. Le Bas. 

In order, 1 Barouins observes,' that He might dis- 
sipate the works of the devil, Christ consecrated, by 
the shedding of His blood, the very calends of Jan- 
uary, a day above all days of the year polluted by 
the superstitions of the Gentiles; and recovered to 
Himself, by the primiticz of His blood, the very 
primitiae of the year which had been seized and oc- 
cupied by the tyranny of the devil. (Annates Ec- 
clesiastici). A. H. G. 

GLORIOUS SALVATION. 
To the Name that brings Salvation, 

Honour, worship, laud we pay; 
That many a generation 

Hid in God's foreknowledge lay; 
But to every tongue and nation 

Holy church proclaims to-day. 

Name of gladness, Name of pleasure, 

By the tongue ineffable, 
Name of sweetness passing measure, 

To the ear delectable; 
'Tis our safeguard and our treasure, 

'Tis our help 'gainst sin and hell. 



2j1 SECOND JlFTER CHEISTM4.5. ETC* 

'Tis the nana for adoration, 

Tis the name of Victory; 
Tis the name for mediation 

In the vale of misery ; 
'Tis the name for veneration 

By the citizens on high, 

'Tis the name that whoso preaches 

Finds it music in his ear; 
'Tis the name that whoso teaches 

Finds more sweet than honey's cheer; 
Who its perfect wisdom reaches 

Makes his ghostlv vision clear. 

L. S. 

COMMENCE THE CUTTIXG OFF OF SIX IX ITS 
BEGINNING. 

So did Jesus in the Beginings of His Incarnate 
Life for man. Let His life be your example as far 
as possible. Wherein in the past you have failed in 
this, correct your life as quick and as far as you can. 
In the beginning and when tempted further make the 
following ' similitude' as related by another a warn- 
ing and a lesson. 

When Captain Cook went on this survey around 
the world 4 says Xewland,' there was attached to the 
expedition, in the capacity of naturalist, a learned 
Swede of the name of Solander; and when a party 
from the ships landed in Patagonia, Dr. Solander 



CIRCUMCISION WEEK. 



255 



accompanied them. It was in the depth of winter, 
and a cold south wind, accompanied with driving 
snow, surprised the explorers at a distance from their 
encampment. Dr. Solander called the party round 
him. c I have had some experience of this/ said he, 
* in my own country, and you have had none: attend 
to my advice, for upon it depend your lives. We 
must resolutely set our faces to get back to the 
encampment; we must do this without stopping, for 
the danger lies in falling asleep. I warn you that the 
men as their blood grows cold, will ask to be allowed 
to rest; do not permit them for one moment — urge 
them, urge them with blows— urge them with the 
bayonet if necessary. The wish to stop is the first 
symptom of the blood refusing to circulate— to yield 
to it is death.' The party moved on, the wind blew, 
and the snow fell, and the frost cut them through 
and through; but stout English hearts held on still. 
There was no prayer for rest; there was no wish to 
stop, or, if there was, it was suppressed and kept 
under by a firm strong will, until at last, to the sur- 
prise of all, the Swedish doctor himself asked for a 
halt; 'only for five minutes,' he said, 'and they 
would all get on so much better after it.' The lieu- 
tenant in command of the party paused a moment, 
but he recollected the doctor's own earnest admo- 
nitions. 'No,' said he, ' urge him on, drive him on ; 
beat him if necessary — do not let him stop for one 



25G SECOND SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, ETC. 

moment, or he dies/ The doctor expostulated, but 
the men had had their orders, and acted upon them. 
He stormed, but British discipline was far beyond 
the reach of his anger. Swedish temper is some- 
what of the shortest, and the doctor grasping his 
pole, laid about him stoutly, beating this man, 
pushing at another, kicking a third. Still the men 
drove him on, till at last, his blood being got into 
circulation by his own exertions and the energy 
of his friends, he awoke to a sense of his danger, and 
lived to thank his companions for the rough but 
salutary remedy, and to confess that he owed his 
life to the steadiness of British discipline and the 
hearty thwacks of British oak. 

How aptly illustrative (says the editor) is this of 
the insidiousness of sin, and of the need of the soul 
to be kept alive to its terrible danger! {Stock's New 
Handbook of Illustration. ) C. F. H. 

Readings: Gen. xvii. Deut. x. 12 to end. Josh, 
v. 1. II Kings v. 1-15. Isa xlviii. 13-21. S. Matt, 
xvi. 28 to xvii. 14. S. Luke ii. iv. 14-31. vi. 17-23. 
Rom. iii. iv. Gal. iv. 28 to v. 13. Eph. iv. 16-21, 
Phil. iii. 1-8. Col. ii. Rom. ii. iii. iv. 8-15. Tit. 
ii. 11-15. Heb. i. 10-13. ii. * For references, see 
Bible Text Books on Circumcision, also Book 1, 
Part 1, Sections 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. of Neale's Moral 
Concordances of S. Antony. Homily on Unclean- 
ness. Articles ix. xv. xviii. xxvii. 



CIKCUMCISION WEEK. 



257 



We must put off the old 7nan and put on the new 
man. Gen. xvii. Lev. xiv. 8, 39. Deut, xx. 17. 
Ezek. xxxvi. 26. S. Mark iii. 15. S. Luke viii. 2, 
29. xxiii. 52. Acts ix. 18. Rom. xii. 2. xiii. 12. 
I. Cor. v. 7. II. Cor. iv. 16. Ephes. iv. 22. Heb. 

xii. 1. 

Time and its loss. Deut. xxxii. 25. Ps. cxiv. 15. 
Eccles. iii. 1. vii. 17. viii. 6. ix. 12. Isa. xiii. 22. 
Jer. viii. 7. Ezek. vii. 12. Hag. i. 2. S. Mark 

xiii. 33. S. Luke xix. 44. S. John xii. 35. Rom. 
xiii. 11. II Cor. vi. 2. Gal. vi. 10. Ephes. v. 16. 
vi. iS. Heb. v. 12. I S. Peter iv. 17. 

We must be watchful because the day of the Lord 
will come as a thief. Judg. iv. 21. Ps. Ixxvii. 6. 
cxix. 47. Prov. iv. 23. vi. 9. viii. 17. Eccles. vii. 
14. ix. 12. Jer. xlviii. 11. xlix. 31. Wisd. vi. 14. 
S. Luke xii. 19, xvii. 24. xxi. 36, Rom. xiii. 11. I 
Cor. xi. 30. xv. 34. Col. iv. 2. I Thes. v. 2. II. 
Tim. iv. 5. I. S, Pet. iv. 7. Rev. iii. 2. xi. 15. Comp. 
I Cor. xvi. 13-23. etc. S. A. N. by T. T. C. 

I WANT TO BE HOLY. 
Heavenly Father, aid Thy child, who longs to be- 
come holy! 

But then, I must be patient under humiliation — 
let myself be forgotten, and be even pleased at feel- 
ing myself set aside. 

Never mind/ I am resolved, I wish to be holy! 



2oS 



SEC-COT S'UOTAT APTE3 CEEIST31A5. ETC, 



But I must never excuse mvself. never be irnuu- 
tient, never out of temper. 

Never mind! I am resolved, I wish to be holy! 

Then I must continually be doing violence to my 
feeunus — -submitting my will suwavs id that of mv 
superiors — never contentious — never sulky, finishing 
every work begun, in spite of dislike or ennui. 

Never mind! I am resolved, I wish to be fibly! 

But, then, I must be always charitable towards all 
around me; loving them, helping them to the utmost 
of my power, although it may cause me trouble. 

Never mind! I am resolved, I wish to be holy! 

But I must constantly strive against the cowardice, 
sloth, and pride of my nature, renouncing the world, 
the vanity that pleases, the sensuality that rejoices 
me; the antipathy that makes me avoid those I do 
not like. 

Nez>er mind! I am resolved, I still wish to be holy! 

Then, I shall have to experience long hours of 
weariness, sadness, and discontent. I shall often 
feel lonely and discouraged. 

Never mind! I am resolved, I wish to be holy! for 
then I shall have Thee always with me, ever near 
me. Lord ! help me, for I want to be holy ! * 

E. L. E. B. 

THE ETERNAL YEARS. 
4 One cross can sanctify a soul: 
Late saints and ancient seers. 



259 



Were what they were, because they mused 
Upon the eternal years. 

Pass not from flower to pretty flower, 

Time flies and judgment nears, 
Go, make thy honey from the thoughts 

Of the eternal years, 

Death will have rainbows round it seen, 

Through calm contritious tears, 
If tranquil hope but trim her lamp, 

At the eternal years. 

Keep unrestrainedly in this thought, 
Thy loves, hopes, smiles, and tears, 

Such prison house thine heart will make 
Free in the eternal years. 

He practices all virtues well, 

Who his own cross reveres, 
And lives in the familiar thought 

Of the eternal vears.' 

F. Faber by T. T. C. 

Psalms ii. xviii. xxiii. xl. xliv. lxxxi. lxxxvi. xciii. 
xcv, xcvi. xcvii. xeviii. cxiii. cxxii. cxliv. 

Anthems. — Ps. xv, 1-7. xxvi. 1, 7. lxxxiv. 1. 2, 4. 
cxvi. 15, 16. cxix. 9-16, 33-56. 40. 106-10S, no, in. 



260 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTEK CHEISTMAS, ETC. 



Hymns— 4. 17. 23. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 40. 76, 
81. 83. 84. 126. 178. 206. 252. 301. 315. 326. 333. 
34°. 376. 395- 424. 455- 466. 485. 49i. 5°7- 

Collects. — 1st Sunday in Advent. Christmas. 
Epiph. 6th after Epiph. 6th and 25th after Trin, 
Annunc. S. S. Simon and Jude. All Saints. 1st 3d 
and 5th after C. O, 

' Thine Nci77ie is as ointment poured' Song of 
Sol. i. 3. 

' How sweet the name of Jesus sounds 

In a believer's ear! 
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, 

And drives away his fear. 

It makes the wounded spirit whole, 

And calms the troubled breast; 
'Tis manna to the hungry soul, 

And to the weary rest. 

Dear name, the rock on which I build, 

My shield and hiding-place, 
My never-failing treasury, rilled 

With boundless stores of grace. 

Jesus! my Shepherd, Husband, Friend 

My Prophet, Priest, and King, 
My Lord, my life, my way, my end — 

Accept the praise I bring. 



CIECUMCISION WEEK. 

Weak is the effort of my heart, 
And cold my warmest thought: 

But when I see Thee as Thou art, 
I'll praise Thee as I ought. 

Till then I would Thy love proclaim 
With every fleeting breath; 

And may the music of Thy Name. 
Refresh my soul in death.' 



262 



EPIPHANY,* ETC., OR MANIFESTATION 
WEEK. 

, THE GUIDING STAR, 
As with Gladness men of old 
Did the guiding Star behold; 
As with joy they hailed its Light, 
Leading onward, beaming bright; 
So, most gracious Lord, may we 
Evermore be led to Thee, 



* The feast of Epiphany was not originally a distinct festi- 
val, but formed a part of that of the Nativity; and the word 
Epiphany was originally applied to Christmas-day us well as to 
the day to which it is now peculiar. The idea common to both 
these seasons was that of manifestation-^the Nativity com- 
memorated the manifestation of Christ in the flesh, and what 
we now call the Epiphany, His manifestation by a Star to the 
Gentiles. Wheatly however, maintains that the feasts of 
Christmas and Epiphany were always separate, and imputes*it 
to the identity of the word used to designate them, that they 
were ever regarded as having been one and the same ; whilst 
Bingham contends for their primitive conjunction. It is not, 
however, beyond the limits of possibility to conciliate the state- 
ment of identity with the statement of difference. ' The term 

263 



264 



EPIPHANY, ETC, 



As with joyful steps they sped 

To that lowly Manger-bed, 

There to bend the knee before 

Him Whom heaven and earth adore ; 

So may we with willing feet 

Ever seek the Mercy-seat. 

was used at first,' says Mr. Riddle 'as equivalent to — Nativity 
but afterwards a distinction was made between the first and 
second Epiphany; the former denoting Christmas-day, the 
latter Epiphany so-called.* But a paragraph of Dr. Hook's is 
more significant as a passage of accommodation ! — The feast of 
the Nativity ' being celebrated twelve days, the first and last of 
which, according to the custom of the Jews in their feast, were 
high or chief days of solemnity, either of these might fitly be 
called Epiphany, as that word signifies the appearance of 
Christ in the world. 'f When it became convenient to mark 
the distinctive honour and purpose of either day with greater 
precision, it happened naturally enough that the first was 
adopted for the commemoration of the Nativity, whilst the last, 

or Twelfth-day, was associated with the Epiphany 

The Greek Church accorded an honour to Epiphany which 
the earlier Latin Church withheld. In the former communion 
it was the Baptism of Jesus, over and above all the other 
phenomena or associations of the day, as enumerated already 
by S. Augustine, that was most strongly dwelt on in the com- 
memoration of the Epiphany. It was at our Lord's baptism 
that His divinity was proclaimed to the world by the voice that 
came from heaven — Thou art My beloved Son, in Whom I am 



* Manual of Christian Antiquities, 
t Hook" s Church Dictionary, 



MANIFESTATION WEEK. 



265 



As they offered Gifts most rare 
At that Manger rude and bare; 
So may we with holy joy, 
Pure and free from sin's alloy, 
All our costliest Treasures bring, 
Christ, to Thee our Heavenly King. 

well pleased. 4 Why/ asks S. Chrysostom, * is not the day on 
which Christ was born called Epiphany, but the day on 
which He was baptized ? Because He was not manifested 
to all when He was born, but when He was baptized. 
For to the day of His baptism He was generally unknown 
as appears from the words of John the Baptist, There standeth 
One among you, Whom ye know not. And what wonder that 
others should not know Him, when the Baptist himself knew 
Him not before that day? For I knew Him not, says he; but 
He that sent me to baptize with water, the Same said unto me, 
Upon Whom thou shall see the Spirit descending and remaining 
on Him, the same is He that bapiizeth with the Holy Ghost.' 
Regarding it as commemorative in a special manner of the 
manifestation of the Trinity at the baptism of Christ, it was 
natural that the Greek Church should promote the Epiphany to 
be one of the three solemn times of baptism, of which the other 
two were Easter and Pentecost. A. H. G. 

' Epiphany.— -This Greek word signifies manifestation, and 
hath been of old used for Christmas-day, when Christ was 
manifested in the flesh; and for this day, wherein the Star did 
appear to manifest Christ to the wise men; as appears by 
Chrysologus and Epiphanius. Upon this identity of the word, 
some unskilful ones were misled to think that anciently the 
feasts of Christmas and Epiphany were one and the same; but 



EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Holy Jesus, every day 
Keep us in the narrow way ; 
And, when earthly things are past, 
Bring our ransomed Souls at last 
Where they need no Star to guide, 
Where no clouds Thy Glory hide. 

plain it is by Chrysologus, Epipiianius and Nazienzen. in their 
sermons upon this day, that these two feasts were observed, as 
we do, upon several days. Nazienzen calls this day on which 
Christ was- baptized, 1 The holy lights of Epiphany ; which 
to day we celebrate,' says he, ' having already celebrated the 
holy feast of 'Christmas.' S. Chrysostom says, the day of 
Christ's birth is not so usually and properly called Epiphany, 
as the day of His Baptism. Bp. A. S. 

Under the term Epiphany we commemorate the season in 
which Jesus Christ was manifested ox made known to the 
Gentile world. It had pleased God before the Advent of the 
Saviour, to confine the revelation of His will and its attend- 
ant spiritual privileges to His chosen Israel; but upon the 
coming of His Son, He called the Gentiles also, both to a 
knowlege of His revealed will, and to a participation of the 
privilege which accompanied tint knowledge. To this event, 
therefore, our Church very properly appropriates a particular 
service. 

The circumstances attending the Epiphany are stamped 
with that characteristic regard to the peculiar habits of those 
affected by it, which so eminently distinguishes all God's deal- 
ings with mankind. 

The coming of the long expected Messiah was first an- 
nounced to the Jews, by a message from heaven itself, to simple 



MANIFESTATION WEEK. 



267 



In the heavenly country bright 
Need they no created light; 
Thou its Light, its Joy, its Crown, 
Thou its Sun which goes not down; 
There for ever may we sing 
Alleluias to our King! C. E. 

and unlearned shepherds — a mode this which was direct and in- 
telligible to them. Angels brought the tidings of great joy, and 
declared that a Saviour, Christ the Lord, was born into the 
world. To the Gentiles His advent was signified by a different 
mode, but one which was adapted to the habits and disposition 
of those to whom the sign was sent : — ' There came Magi, or 
wise men, from the East to Jerusalem, saying, Where is He that 
is born King of the Jews ? for we have seen His Star in the 
East, and are come to worship Him.' 

. . . . We are shown by this history that the call of the 
Gospel is universal. In the manifestation of the Saviour to 
the unlearjied shepherds of Judea, and to the learned Magi of 
the East — the wise and great of Arabia — the Almighty had 
united all nations, and all degrees of men, in one holy faith, 
and in one blessed hope. Jews and Gentiles, learned and un- 
learned, rich and poor, noble and ignoble — these are all called 
to salvation; that in the promised Saviour of the world, every 
nation of the earth, every family, and every person, might be 
blessed. For in the persons of these Magi, all the nations of 
the Gentiles may be considered to have laid low their proud 
distinctions of human acquirement, and devoted all to Him % 
from Whom come riches, and wisdom, and honour. Whose 
kingdom, not of this world, is greater than all worlds — for it is 
from everlasting to everlasting. C. C. 



268 



EPIPHANY, ETC. 



HOME COLLECT. 
O God Who hast taught us the acceptance of the 
Gentiles to Thy covenant of grace in the leading of 
Thy heavenly Star " mercifully grant that we, who 
know Tliee now by faith, may be led onwards until 
we come to gaze upon Thy majesty by sight;" through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. C. F. H. 

COMMENTS. 

There are three practical lessons for us to learn 
as we travel the road of everlasting life on the high 
feast (to us Gentiles) of the Epiphany. 

First, The growth in grace vouchsafed to those 
who in the call of God heed and follow the indica- 
tion of His providence, whether it be through the 
ordinary or exceptional call of nature, faithfully pur- 
sued ; or of those circumstances with which we are 
surrounded, when followed to their legitimate result. 
In other words the blessing of heeding the call to 
come to Jesus. 

Secondly, The necessity and blessing of coming to 
the Church in connection with the Bible for guid- 
ance and following the light which is given. 

Thirdly, The duty of worshipping in a becoming 
manner with our means, our souls and our bodies, 
and of owning Christ even in the manger — in His 
poverty — in His poor. 

i. Those kingly Gentiles among mankind who had 



MANIFESTATION WEEK. 



269 



well gained the appellation of " wise men " deserved 
it under God's mercy, if for no other reason than 
their faithful study, circumspection, and obedience, 
and practical observation of providential direction. 
They were first led, under the grace of God, by His 
Spirit, out of a darkness which generally prevailed 
to a transitory* but particular light of a particular 
star. That transitory light, however, was sufficient 
under God's grace, for those faithful men — under it 
they embraced and faithfully worked their oppor- 
tunity — through difficulty and doubt — through this 
trial of their faith — until by this faithful following of 
the Spirit they were led to the City of God, and 
then through faithful perseverance to the very person 
of Jesus. 

2. But it was not until the instruction of the 
representatives of God's Church, as the keepers of 
the Bible, had been sought, that the " wise men " 
obtained their most especial and fullest guidance in 
their pathway to Christ. And it was after they had 
thus found Christ that they were especially pro- 
tected from danger " Being warned of God in a 
dream that they should not return to Herod. " 

* According to the Divine Record the Star did not appear to 
the "wise men" after its first appearance until in obedience to 
its call they had by diligent improvement of that call found 
their way to Jerusalem. After they had thus faithfully sought 
further light in the City 0/GoD, the Star not only again appeared 
but led them on into the very presence of Christ. 



270 



EPIPHANY, ETC. 



3. Having thus found Christ, this especial pro- 
tection, however, did not come until the "wise men " 
had worshipped Christ and presented what we may 
practically regard to ourselves as the representatives 
of our means, and souls, and bodies; in the "gold, 
and frankincense, and myrrh." 

It is not sufficient to hear of the truth without 
practically acknowledging it, as we may learn from 
the Jews not accompanying the " wise men " to 
Christ, nor is it sufficient when we have found 
Christ to rest upon the past. If we would return 
to our former homes, we should so grow in grace as 
to return by another way, pursuing our course through 
life with greater caution, and so spreading more 
and more the knowledge of Christ.* 

C. F. H. 



* The 1 wise men from the East ' were the first-fruits unto 
God from the Gentiles. And while we bless God for having 
pitied us in our low estate, and called us who were not worthy 
of the crumbs under the table, to feed on the" children's bread, 
we may well regard these true-hearted men as intended to be 
types or patterns to us, of what we ought to be. We should 
imitate them, 

First, In thoughtfulness, and consideration of what God has 
called our attention to. Had they stupidly gazed on the Star, 
without reflecting on the purpose of its appearance, what would 
they have been the better for God's sending it to them ? and 
how shall we be the better for having been baptized, and other- 
wise called to a knowledge of Christ, unless we reflect on the 



MANIFESTATION WEEK. 



271 



Send out Thy Light, the way is dark before me, 
The path Thy Love has moulded out for me; 

Send out Thy Light, that I may see Thy Footsteps 
Calming the waters of life's restless sea. 

Send out Thy Light, the clouds are dark above me, 
Gathering in tempest from the angry sea; 

Send out Thy Light, that I may see the storm-drops 
Which fall from the dear Hand, once pierced for me. 

Send out Thy Light, and lead me, Father, le:,d me, 
Beyond this darkness, sorrow, and unrest; 



reason and meaning of our Baptism, and the real purposes of 
our Saviour's coming ? We should imitate them, 

Secondly, In the promptness with which they acted on their 
convictions. Having satisfied themselves that what they saw 
was the Star of Him who was born King of the Jews, they lost 
no time and were deterred by no difficulties, in seeking Him. 
They set out at once on a long and toilsome journey; and when 
they arrived in Judea, took every means to find out the Infant 
King. Would that wc were all thus prompt in seeking Christ; 
thus resolved to admit of no delay in a matter of such impor- 
tance, and to spare no pains in aiming at the truth ! 

Thirdly \ We should imitate these men — in their joy and 
thankfulness. ' They rejoiced with exceeding great joy.' We 
are so familiar with the fact that God has given to mankind a 
covenant of grace through the Lord Jesus Christ, that we — 
scarcely view it as an occasion of 'exceeding great joy.' — The 
character of God's true servants is, that having not seen their 
Saviour, they love Him; believing in Him, though they see 
Him not, they rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. 
(I Pet. I. 8.) W. J. T. 



272 



EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Send out Thy Light, and guide me, worn and weary, 
To the calm shelter of my Saviour's Breast. 

(Clewer Manual.) D. & Y. 

The (Church) Collect, though in its present 
form a very noble prayer, has certainly lost point in 
the translation. For thus runs its petition in the 
Missal of Sarum : ' Mercifully grant that we, which 
know Thee now by faith, may be led onwards untfl 
we come to gaze upon Thy Majesty by sight! (See 
Home Collect.) It may be said that the having 
i the fruition of the glorious Godhead after this life ' 
is one and the same thing with gazing upon His 
Majesty by sight. And so it is. But the clause in 
the original has several advantages over the trans- 
lation. First, the mention of sight as well as faith 
recalls to mind immediately the text upon which the 
entire prayer is built — ' We walk by faith, not by 
sight' (2 Cor., v. 7 ). Then the expression ' we may be 
led onwards until ' is an intended application, which 
no one can miss, of the story of the wise men to our- 
selves. — So we pray that we may be led onward, by 
the Starlight guidance of faith, until in a better and 
brighter life we come to gaze upon the Saviour 
face to face, ' to see Him as He is' (1 John iii., 2). 
And the Latin scholar will not omit to notice that 
the word which I have rendered 4 gaze upon ' is the 
very word appropriated to the study of the heavens. 



MANIFESTATION WEEK. 



273 



It is our word to contemplate; and to contemplate 
was in its origin an augur's word : it signified the 
preliminary action of the augur, when taking the 
omens, which was to mark out with his wand a par- 
ticular portion of the sky, in which the omens were 
to be expected. 

. . . . The loss of ' led onwards ' in our transla- 
tion is a great one. If we are hereafter to see Christ 
as He is, and to 'have the fruition' in Him of the 'glori- 
ous Godhead/ this blessed end will not be detached 
from, but stand in distinct and living relation to, 
our present course ; there must be a gradual 4 lead- 
ing onwards ' through darkness, difficulties and 
trials, until we reach it. Happy are we, if towards 
the end of our course the Star again presents itself 
and moves on in front, and we feel more assured 
than ever that we have not trusted to cunningly 
devised fables, or delusions of the mind, when first, 
at the indications which it gave, we set forth on our 
Christian pilgrimage. And what will be the end of 
the course? 'We shall see Him as He is?' (i 
John iii., 2). E. M. G. 

In the Epistle S. Paul in a holy fervor of soul, 
dwells upon and magnifies ' the mystery of Christ,' 
—the mystery which in other ages was not made 
known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed 
unto the holy Apostles and Prophets by the Spirit ;' 



274 



EPIPHANY, ETC. 



declaring it to be the object of His life, 'to make all 
men see, what is the fellowship of the mystery, 
which -from the beginning of the world hath been 
hid in God, who created all things by Jesus 
Christ/ 

When we ask what was this mystery — long hidden 
in the counsels of God, but now revealed — we find 
it expressed in the verse : • That the Gentiles should 
be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and par- 
takers of His (that is, of God's) promise in Christ 
by the Gospel/ We may say then that what called 
forth the Apostle's wonder and adoration w r as, the 
manifestations of God's love and designs of mercy 
towards the Gentile world, which had been made by 
the coming of the Saviour. And so we see why 
this passage is chosen to be read on the Epiphany. 
It is the design of the Services of the Epiphany to 
celebrate not merely one beautiful incident of our 
Lord's infancy — the coming of the wise men — but 
rather the idea which that embodied, and of which 
we accept it as the token, the yearning of the Gen- 
tile world for the Saviour, its homage offered and 
accepted, Jesus Christ manifested as the Saviour 
to a waiting world. S. E. G. 

On the twelfth day after Christmas the Church 
celebrates the joyous Feast of Epiphany. It follows 
the Circumcision, that Christ's glory may be mani- 



MANIFESTATION WEEK. 



275 



fested in the flesh, as well as His humility. On this 
day the Church commemorates a threefold manifes- 
tation of Him ; the first is, that to the Wise Men 
of the East, who were the first fruits of the Gen- 
tiles, by the guidance of a Star, the second, His 
baptism in Jordan, on the same day, in which He 
was manifested as the ' Beloved Sox ' of God, and the 
third, the miracle of Cana in Galilee, when He 
changed water into wine. But the adoration of the 
Magi is the chief object of this day. 

What abundance of sublime miracles attend, as it 
were, on our Saviour's Birth, as S. Chrysostom has 
remarked. The Holy Ghost overshadoweth flesh ; 
a Virgin brings forth ; angels proclaim Him ; shep- 
herds have visions ; a Star manifests Him ; Gentiles 
worship Him ; heaven and earth contend, as it were, 
in joy and duty, at the Incarnation of their God 
and Creator. The Star was a fit emblem of Him, 
Who is the Light of the World, and the True Star 
of Jacob — in the persons of the Magi all nations 
kneel before Him. — They offered gold, as to a king ; 
frankincense, as to a priest ; and myrrh to embalm 
mortality. Let us offer to Him the go/d of pure and 
ardent charity, the incense of fervent prayer, and the 
ntyrrh of mortified affections. Seek Christ by the 
guidance of the Star, that is by the light of His Word ; 
offer the three gifts, thine alms, prayer and fasting, 
which respect God, thy neighbor and thyself. 

C. G, 



276 



EPIPHANY, ETC. 



GOLD, FRANKINCENSE AND MYRRH.* 
Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh— 

The eastern sages gave: 
My heart, what canst thou here confer 

Of (on ?) Him Who earth did save ? 

Oft art thou sin's sad thrall, 

Oft tempt'st the Vengeance-rod, 

And He is boundless Lord of all, 
The Everlasting God. 

What canst thou, then, bestow? 

O wonder, sweet as rare, 
Thy Lord, thy God, Who shared thy woe, 

He will accept thy prayer. 



* Allegorically, these three gifts signify Christ, who offered 
Himself to God the Father upon the Cross as it were gold, 
since out of golden love, even love to man, He immolated 
Himself; as the myrrh of the very bitter passion of His griefs 
and torments; and as the frankincense of the highest devotion, 
submission, veneration, and worship. Whence also on the same 
day of the week on which Christ offered Himself upon the 
Cross the Magi offered their three gifts to Christ. For the 
tradition is that Christ was born on the Lord's Day. And 
if from thence you reckon thirteen days you will come to the 
Friday of the following week. For the Magi worshipped Him 
on the thirteenth day after His birth. 

Tropologically, in the first place, gold is charity, or love, and 
wisdom; frankincense is prayer and devotion; myrrh is mortifi- 
cation. Whence S. Gregory says {IIo??i. IO), ' We offer gold' 



MANIFESTATION "WEEK, 



277 



The lowly prayer of sin, 

The praise of love-fraught fear, 
His sacred Temple's Courts within, 

Before Him breathe them here. 

Lord at thy feet we fall, 

Imperfect gifts we own ; 
Our works, our prayers, our praises all 

Are Thine, and Thine alone. 

O. O. 



if we shine by the light of wisdom; frankincense, if we are 
redolent with fervent prayer; myrrh, if we mortify the vices of 
the flesh.' 

Again, gold is voluntary poverty. For this poverty is most 
rich, and far more pleasing to God than aril the world. Whence 
the apostle, as having nothing, and yet 'possessing all things.' 
(2 Cor. vi. 10.) 

Frankincense is obedience, whereby a man offers his own 
will and intellect, yea, his entire self, to God, as a holocaust of 
frankincense. 

Myrrh is fasting, mortification of the flesh, and. what springs 

from mortification, ^chastity Moreover, by these 

three gifts three kinds of good works are denoted: alms-giving, 
prayer, and fasting, to which all species of virtues may be re- 
ferred. For almsgiving helps our neighbour; prayer worships 
and calls upon God; fasting steadies a man within himself. So 
then, by means of these three, we offer to God whatever good 
things we have — namely, by almsgiving, our works; by prayer, 
our souls ; by fasting, our bodies. 

C. A. L. 



278 



EPIPHANY, ETC. 



THE SUN OF GRACE. 
As I have seen the sunlight fly apace 
From hill to hill, till all the darkened row 

Shone in its glow; 
So is it with the Sun of Grace, 
Which still from heart to heart doth shine 
Till all the world doth move in light divine. 

E. H. 

There seems to be little doubt that the Magi who 
came to worship Christ were really representatives 
of a powerful class of personages in the great Par- 
thian empire, which even in its then degraded con- 
dition might be said to divide with Rome the sov- 
ereignty of the world. The Magi were a religious 
order, free from idolatry; and it seems although the 
royal power was not in their hands, it rested 
mainly with them to determine who should occupy 
the throne. 

. . , . The Magi had for generations been ad- 
dicted to the study of astrology; nor ought we, as we 
think of this, to confound their studies with all the 
puerilities and superstitions which in late and more 
ignorant times have made astrology contemptible. 
They were attentive watchers of the starry heavens, 
and probably retained by tradition an amount of 
astronomical knowledge which the scientific world 
of the present day has not yet recovered. Along 



MANIFESTATION WEEK. 



279 



with their scientific studies of the heavenly host they 
believed that there were indications of coming events 
to be found therein, not with the mere ignorant 
wonder which in a more recent time might make 
' the guilty nations tremble,' as if the phenomena 
were abnormal and the world were getting out of 
order, but in the pure acknowledgment of the 
Divine Sovereignty, Whose government was the real 
basis of the unity of the universe, so that other 
worlds besides our own share in common interests 
along with us, and their movements are ordered by 
God with reference to events affecting all. Such an 
idea would have no debasing effect upon the human 
soul, but would surely help to draw up the heart 
from the littleness of our human self-conceit to 
worship God in the immensity of His sovereignty 
over realms which surpass our conception. 

One thing, however, is certain: that they did re- 
gard the host of heaven as being organized in such 
a manner, and they anciently watched for indica- 
tions which they thought they could interpret. We 
ourselves regard the heavenly bodies as supplying a 
criterion of seasons They believed something 
more, and extended their considerations beyond the 
month and the year to vast cycles of time, having 
the conviction that the stars would be found in cer- 
tain combinations when certain great events were 
about to happen; in other words, that there was 



280 



EPIPHA.NY, ETC. 



a certain natural fitness in the organism of the 
material world for the occurrence of events affect- 
ing history, a belief which was at least consistent 
with the thought that the great Ruler of Mankind 
was also the Ruler of material nature wherever 
found, and that He ruled the moral and material 
worlds with some reference to one another. Such 
an idea does, indeed, seem to be almost necessitated 
by an intelligent belief in the unity of the Divine 
government. The laws of material nature are fixed; 
but if God is to act at all we must believe that He 
will choose times for action having some reference 
to the fitness of the material structure in which those 
events are to take place. Holy Scripture seems to 
teach that God has set the heavenly host to be for 
signs of His actions towards us, as well as for sea- 
sons in which we are to approach Him with regu- 
larity of appointed worship, for heavenly purposes 
as well as for the days and years of earthly life. 

Now it is certain that at the time of our Lord's 
birth there was a phenomenon in the starry heavens 
to which the Magi would attribute great importance. 
There was a conjunction of planets which happened 
in a part of the heavens which they regarded as 
specially connected with the Jewish nation.* 

The appearance of the star and the journey of the Chal- 
dean wise men is mentioned by Chalcidius, the Platonist. 
Some authors have suggested, and it seems not improbable, 



MANIFESTATION WEEK. 



281 



It has been supposed that these planets thus 
coming close into combination might form the ap- 
parent star which the wise men followed. This, 
however, cannot have been the case, although the 
appearances and disappearances of this conjunction 
have been calculated in a manner strangely accor- 
dant with what is told us respecting the Star of 
Bethlehem. 

Of the conjunction itself there can be no doubt. 
Of its being noticed by the Magi, and of its natural 
effect upon their minds, there can be no doubt. But 
the Star was evidently from the words of Scripture, 
not merely a remarkable phenomenon; it was a new 
thing. However much some remarkable coincidences 
of nature may have prepared the way for it, the 
principal object must have been something proper to 
the occasion. 



that this seeming star which appeared to the wise men in the 
East might be that glorious light which shone upon the shep- 
herds of Bethlehem when the angel came to impart to them 
the tidings of our Saviour's birth, which at a distance might 
appear like a star ; or, at least, after it had thus shone upon 
the shepherds, might be lifted upon high, and then formed 
into the likeness of a star. According to an ancient commen- 
tary on S. Matthew, this star, on its first appearance to the 
Magi, had the form of a radiant child bearing a sceptre or 
cross ; and in some Italian frescoes it is so depicted. Astro- 
nomical science, while accounting for this remarkable appear- 
ance in another way, has also confirmed the fact, recorded in 



282 



EPrPHlNT, ETC. 



In fact, no conjunction of planets could have 
served to indicate the house in which the Child was 
to be found. Of the nature of that manifestation it 
would be useless for us to conjecture. It certainly 
receives dignity from the astronomical phenomena 
with which we find it to have been associated. Those 
facts served doubtless to awake the minds of the 
wise men for its special manifestation. They also 
serve to corroborate the narrative for us who live in 
a later age. 

It has been calculated that this conjunction of 
planets took place at the following seven great epochs 
of the world's history: Adam. Enoch, the Deluge, 
Moses, Isaiah, Christ, Charlemagne, the Reforma- 
tion, and a fact certified by astronomical calculation 

Scripture. Kepler, the great astronomer, supposes it to have 
been a conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn. He 
was led to this opinion by observing a conjunction which oc- 
curred Dec. 17, 1603 ; and he says that it was a doctrine among 
the Chaldean astronomers that 1 the conjunction of these 
planets in or near Aries and Libra portends some great revo- 
lution.' It may well be believed as a learned writer remarks 
upon this, that 1 neither is it incredible that Divine Providence 
may have been pleased to use for its own purposes astro- 
logical belief, which we have reason to think was entertained 
by the Jews, and perhaps by the Chaldeans, in connection 
with the expectation then rife all over the East, as Tacitus and 
Suetonius tell us, of the birth of a Great Monarch.' 

E. K. 



MANIFESTATION WEEK. 



283 



seems to be of itself an abiding testimony to the 
truth of the religion with whose leading events the 
signs in the heavens are thus found coincident. The 
testimony given by the order of nature is more 
remarkable than a supernatural event would be hap- 
pening without such natural concurrence, for God is 
a God of order, and it is a strong indication that a 
feligion came from the Author of the universe if it is 
found that great leading features of its growth coin- 
cide with a special sequence of phenomena in the 
material world, especially in those heavenly bodies 
which are avowedly given to us ' for signs.' 

R. M. B. 

When Christ, the Lord, to earth came down 

He set a glittering Star on high, 
A jewel from His Kingly Crown 

Dropped on His passage through the sky; 

And o'er the Babe's poor Home it shone, 

A Sentry there in gleaming dress 
That heaven its glorious King might own, 

While earth received His Lowliness: 

And Faith brought Sages from afar, 

And Faith their (costly) offerings poured, 

Ana Faith revealed where stood the Star, 
The Presence of the Christ, the Lord, 

L, E. 



284 



EPIPHANY, ETC. 



It has been generally thought that the three wise 
men from the east who came to worship at the feet 
of the Infant Jesus were kings or princes. This 
belief has had its foundation in the Prophecy that 
kings should come to the brightness of the rising of 
the Sun of Righteousness, a prophecy which it 
seems impossible to allow to have had fulfilment 
unless we accept this tradition. In pictorial repre- 
sentations of the Epiphany the three wise men are 
given crowns as insignia of their dignity. 

(If so) we (here) see kings kneeling before the 
King of Kings, the Prince of Peace ; and hereafter — 
a throne in heaven, and a Lamb upon it— and 
before Him — bend— four and twenty elders — -on all 
occasions with gold and incense. Once with gold 
and incense and myrrh ; now, — the myrrh is no 
more needed. 

(Thus) we may learn — that Bodily Reverence is 
expected by Christ of His worshippers. — Christ 
expects as much outward honour (to be) shown 
Him, His house, His Throne, His day, His Word, 
His ministers as are due to the house and throne, 
and commands, and officers of an earthly potentate. 
. . . . It is a grief to me to see how many do 
not bow their knees in prayer to God. — Would an 
earthly king give a very patient hearing to a rcquer* 
made to him by a lounging supplicant? 

I will tell you a true story. There was an c'd 



MANIFESTATION WEEK. 



285 



Clergyman who was much troubled because his wife 
would sit in Church, instead of kneeling. He spoke 
about it to her, but she gave no heed. No — she 
was more comfortable sitting, and she thought she 
could pray just as well in one position as in an- 
other. * You may pray as well,' he said, 1 but I 
doubt your being heard as well.' However it was 
no good. So then, one day he went to his wife's 
old servant, and said to her, 1 Hannah, I will give 
you a crown if you will go to my wife, and sit down 
on the sofa at her side, and ask her to give you a 
holiday to-morrow, because you want to go home to 
your friends.' Hannah was shy, however the pro- 
spect of the crown encouraged her, and she opened 
the door timidly, went in, and walking up to the 
sofa, where her mistress was sitting, sat down at her 
side. The old lady looked up in great astonish- 
ment, and asked what in the world she wanted, ' A 
holiday to-morrow, ma'am.' 6 Leave the room in- 
stantly, you impudent woman,' exclaimed the old 
lady, 1 and if you want to have a request granted, 
learn to ask it in a proper manner.' 

Then the husband put his head in, and said/My 
dear ! is not this preaching to Hannah the lesson I 
have been preaching to you for years ? If you want 
to have a request granted, learn to ask it in a proper 
manner. ' 

.Next Sunday, and ever after, the old lady knelt in 



286 



EPIPHANY, ETC. 



church. She saw that it would not do to treat 
Jesus Christ in the way in which she did not like 
to be treated herself. V. P. 

They fell down and worshipped Him. It is, in- 
deed, an interesting question, and dogmatically not 
unimportant, how much is implied in this * worship ' 
which, the Evangelist tells us, the wise men ad- 
dressed to the infant Saviour ? 

In the classical Greek the word had come very 
generally to be used in its religious sense; it is so, 
remarkably often, in Sophocles; nor, among all 
the other passages where the word occurs in the 
New Testament, can there be adduced a single one 
in which it has other than a religious significance, in 
which it does not, at the least, imply the recognition 
of a divine character and presence in him to whom 
this homage is paid; and oftentimes much more 
than this, even the adoration due only to the God 
of gods, and Lord of lords. There are two pas- 
sages very decisive of the sense in which the sacred 
writers of the New Testament used the word, and 
of the light in which they regarded the homage 
which was expressed by it. The first is Acts x. 25, 
26, where Peter refuses to accept this worship from 
Cornelius; for 1 1 myself also am a man.' Tne 
second is Rev. xxii. 8, 9, where in like manner the 
angel forbids the offering of the worship to himseh : 



MANIFESTATION WEEK. 



287 



'See thou do it not; for I am thy fellow servant; 

. . . worship God.' The only passage 
which seems to contradict this universal rule of the 
word's use is Matt, xviii. 26, where the servant is 
said to have fallen down and 1 worshipped ' his lord. 
But if we assume, as we have a perfect right to do, 
that the scene of this parable is the East — for where 
else should we find defaulters in ten thousand 
talents?— and remember that this lord whom the 
servant 1 worshipped ' was also his king, this case 
will not be found an exceptional instance; for the 
reverence paid to the eastern monarch, and to the 
kinj of Persia in particular, which technically bore 
this name of adoration or worship, did entirely 
ground itself on the recognition of him as the re- 
presentative and incarnation of Ormuzd,* and was 
purely an act of religious homage 

* In Persia the highest form of Aryan religion had been 
brought face to face with the highest form of Shemetic, and 
there were many points in which mutual sympathy and regard 
were inevitable. Both nations hated idolatry; indeed, the 
Persian was more zealous in this than the Jew had been, for 
there were not wanting even in the exile, Jews who served 
idols. In Ormuzd and Ahriman, the personifications of Light 
and Darkness, or Good and Evil, the Persian, as it might seem, 
had only developed the Jewish doctrine of Jehovah and the 
Evil that struggled to counteract His beneficent rule. To the 
Persian, as to the Jew, his sacred books were the weapon 
against darkness, and the guide to blessedness. They pre- 



288 



EPIPHANY, ETC. 



' When the wise men had opened their treasures 9 by 
which treasures we must understand, not the precious 
things themselves which they had brought, but the 
chests, caskets, vessels, (which is the word of the 
Arabic version,) or other receptacles which con- 
tained them, — ' they presented 7 Unto Jesus gifts— after 
the custom of the East, which will not allow any 
person to come empty-handed into the presence of 
the great, but requires that the inward devotedness 
should embody itself in an outward gift' — (i Sam. x. 
27; 1 Kings x. 2; Gen. xxxii. 13; xliii. 11, 25; 1 
Sam. ix. 7; xxv. 18, 27; Job. xiii. 11 ;) That these 
gifts on this occasion presented were themselves 
mystical ; that they who offered them meant more, 



scribed commandments and supplied revelations. They taught 
a life after death, and future rewards and punishments ; they 
disclosed the issue of the great struggle between Good and 
Evil, and what would happen at the end of the world. Times 
of great trial were to prove the faithful before the final day. 
Their blood would flow like water. At the end of every 
millennium, however, Ormuzd would send a prophet, with a 
new revelation, and thus a reformation would be effected for a 
time. The prophet next to appear would be born of a virgin, 
and after destroying the works of Ahriman, would establish a 

happy kingdom for a thousand years 

As regards this life, the Persians were taught that no man 
can remain neutral, but must take the side either of good or 
evil. To follow the former was not only right but natural, 
since Ormuzd is the Creator. G. 



MANIFESTATION WEEK. 



289 



or at any rate that more was meant by the Spirit 
which prompted them to these, than merely that they 
would present to this Child the costliest things which 
they had ; that in these, no less than in the worship 
which went with them, there was a confession of 
faith, explicit or implicit ; — -this the church has 
evermore felt ; — and the special symbolic signifi- 
cance which has been attributed severally to the 
three gifts is probably familiar to all. The frankin- 
cense, the choicest of all odours, was offered to the 
Son of God, Who as such was also God, and to 
Whom therefore the sweet odours of prayer and all 
other sacrifice:; were rightly due ; the myrrh to the 
Son of Mary, who, as Man, was subject to mortality, 
while at the same time He should be free from cor- 
ruption ; the myrrh, therefore, used in burial, and 
yet preserving from decay, containing a latent 
prophecy, not of His death and burial only, as it is 
sometimes explained, but the pledge also of His 
resurrection; and the gold to the Son of David, the 
King of Israel, to Whom all other kings and people 
should yield tribute of the most precious things 
which they had. R. C. T. 

That S. Matthew (used) the title Magi in its honour- 
able, national sense, is established beyond all doubt 
by King Herod's reception of these foreigners. 
This old, suspicious politician, half-crazy, and half 



290 



EPITHANT, ETC. 



dead, admitted these strangers to private audience; 
and, for them he summoned together the Sanhedrim, 
the grand council of his kingdom. These Magi, 
then, must have been nobles — and this might also 
be presumed from the costly gifts they offered to the 
King in Bethlehem — nobles, that is, in the Oriental 
sense of the term, nobility, — persons in royal service, 
familiar with dignitaries, men of high consideration. 
In Persia, at the Court of the Parthian kings, the 
chief Magi were so, and there only. Their standing 
thus with the Parthians, who were then, next to the 
Romans, the haughtiest military power in the world, 
is the only possible historical explanation of Herod's 
reception of these foreigners. Age, infirmities, and 
the long exercise of despotic power, had exasperated 
his naturally strong will and high spirit into a moody, 
ungovernable temper, that was jealous, suspicious, 
and irritable, almost, if not, at times, quite to mad- 
ness ; and the Magi, making the inquiry they did, 
were in greater danger from it than probably they 
were aware ; but they were comparatively safe, if 
they came under the safe-conduct of generals com- 
manding the Parthian armies on the Tigris or the 
Euphrates; not even the Romans, being more feared 
by Herod than the Parthians, who, in a raid into 
Judea, had once driven him from his Capital, in such 
despair, that he attempted to take his own life. 
(Josephus, Antiq, lib. xiv. chap. xiii. 7, 8.) . . . ♦ 



MANIFESTATION "WEEK. 



291 



S. Matthew defined his use of the word Magi, by 
adding to it, 'from the Far East.' But the same ill 
fortune has followed both title and phrase. The 
geographical, like the historical term, is commonly 
thought to be general and vague ; yet the national 
sense of the one has been, and it may be that the 
definite meaning of the other can be, proved. 

In the Latin and in the English Versions, it is 
said the Magi were 1 from the East,' and in the same 
sentence it is said they saw the Star ' in the East.' 
In this there seems to be somewhat of needless 
repetition. This is not so in the original Greek. 
The word for the East is twice there, but the second 
time its form is changed, and this change in its form 
changes its sense. When used together geographi- 
cally, the first of these two forms must point to some 
country more distant than the second does ; and the 
one should be translated the Far East, the other the 
East. Therefore, in English, the verses should run 
thus : k When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of 
Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, there 
came to Jerusalem, Magi from the Far East, saying, 
Where is He that is born King of the Jews ? for we 
have seen His Star in the East, and are come to 
worship Him.' 

* The East' and the 'Far East,' then, are S. Mat- 
thew's terms ; and cannot geography and history, 
interrogated together, answer the question, What 



292 



EPIPHANY, ETC. 



did the East and the Far East mean, in the first 
century, in Palestine? They can, and their answers 
are additional proof that the Wise Men were Per- 
sians. — They also tell where the Wise Men were 
when they saw the Star — a new fact that throws 
some light on the hitherto unknown of their pil- 
grimage. . . 

As to the worship the Magi paid to Christ, this 
great difficulty arises : it is very strange they should 
receive a truth received with difficulty, even by the 
disciples of the Master, at a late day, and after 
many proofs of His divinity. The explanation of 
the marvel is, in part, given in what has been said of 
the Persian idea of a King. To a Persian, his king 
was so representative of God, that to his Oriental 
imagination, he seemed the brightness of His Glory 
and the image of His Person. The Persian Pil- 
grims brought with them to Bethlehem something 
of this idea of a King. This would have led them 
to worship, in the Persian sense of the word, the 
King they sought and found ; but their pure belief 
in Him as a spiritual Lord, and the new r Star, the 
sign of his superterrestrial glory, that led to His 
presence, raised their idea of Him high above that 
of a king of the earth, and prepared them to recog- 
nize His true, essential divinity. F. W. U. 

This is a festival of especial joy to all the mem- 
bers of the Gentile Church. 



MANIFESTATION WEEK. 



293 



On this day Christ our Saviour was manifested 
or made known to the eastern Magi, and through 
them to the whole heathen world which they repre- 
sented. Through the Epiphany of Christ, we 
amongst other nations of the Gentiles, were turned 
from darkness to light, from the power of Satan unto 
God, and received an inheritance among them which 
are sanctified by faith that is in Him. (Acts, xxvi. 
18.) Therefore does the Church commemorate with 
holy joy the manifestation of the blessed Jesus; she 
teaches us to walk in the light which she has made 
to shine upon us, praying that it may lead us as it 
did those early Gentile converts into the very pres- 
ence of our Lord. 

But to obcain their blessing we must copy their 
example, as it is set before us in the gospel for the 
day. They persevered through the dangers of a 
long and perilous journey, obediently following the 
directions of the star which God had given them 
for a guide, until it brought them safely to the place 
where the Young Child was. (v. 9.) Christ's holy 
religion — (is) the guiding star w T hich directs Chris- 
tians in their long and troublesome journey through 
this world. By the light of His Gospel and of His 
Church, and of His Holy Spirit acting through 
sacred ordinances, He teaches us what we ought to 
do. and then gives us grace and power faithfully to 
fulfil the same ; and we must persevere in following 
his light if we would arrive safely at the place where 



294 



EPIPHANY, ETC. 



our Lord and Saviour is. According to the measure 
in which we act up to this holy light, will He manifest 
Himself to us here, and prepare us for the 'full fruition 
of His Glorious Godhead ' (Collect) hereafter. 

. . . . We must offer of the best of our earthly 
substance in the place where He has chosen to place 
His Name, believing that He is there to receive our 
gifts, though we see Him not ; and to our temporal 
offerings we must join those sacrifices of the heart 
which the gifts of the Magi typify or represent. 
Pure love and charity which is intended by the gold, 
ardent devotion which is typified by the incense, and 
the complete mortification of our corrupt nature 
which the myrrh signifies, must be united in the 
worship of those who would present their body, 
soul, and spirit, a reasonable, holy, and lively sacri- 
fice unto Him. 

There are two other manifestations of our Blessed 
Saviour, which (being supposed to have happened 
on the same day, though not in the same year) are 
also commemorated by the Church at this time. The 
first of these is His Baptism* — on which occasion 

* 11 The 4 Feast of the Holy Lights ' (in the East) is not 
Candlemas, but the Epiphany ; which last festival has, with 
the Easterns, no reference whatever to the visit of the Magi, 
as in the Latin Church and our own, but relates solely to our 
Lord's Baptism and the institution of that holy sacrament 
which the Greeks call Photismos, the enlightening." — Nicholas 
Hoppin, D,D. 



MANIFESTATION WEEK. 



295 



do we find the three persons of the Blessed Trinity 
combined to shew forth the glory and divinity of 
Jesus Christ. The Father's voice from heaven 
is heard declaring his divine mission, and accepting 
His Atonement, while the Holy Spirit in a visible 5 
form alights and rests upon His Sacred Person. 

Again — does our Blessed Lord - manifest forth ' 
His Glory by the performance of His first miracle in 
Cana of Galilee. By this miracle He shewed forth 
the perfect divinity of His nature ; and He taught 
His disciples that He will ever make Himself known 
to them, to bless and help them in every circum- 
stance of their lives, if only they seek His presence 
and His favour. . . . Thus did Christ, i the 
true Light,' come to give light to every man that 
cometh into the world. To the whole Christian 
Church, and to each one of us members does He 
say — ' Arise, shine, for thy Light is come, and the 
glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.' Let us then 
strive to keep this holy festival by walking as chil- 
dren of the Light, letting our light shine in that 
particular position, however humble, in which His 
providence has placed us. C. T. 

THE RAIN OF GRACE. 
The Rain of Grace 
Falleth in every place 
Upon the unjust and the just 
To lay the sin of earth as dust. E, H, 



296 



EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Is it not ours, who are heirs and sons of a Gentile 
race, to hold this day in great esteem, to honour it 
greatly among holy days, to give God especial 
thanks, and offer especial prayers? It was a great 
day for all heathen lands when those three wise men 
worshipped Christ ; they were the first fruits of the 
Gentiles ; and as Christ not only accepted their 
worship, but sent a star to fetch them into His pres- 
ence, we see His desire to fetch all Gentiles to a 
knowledge of the faith. Blessed, I say, was that 
Epiphany ; and blessed this season of the Church in 
which we still call to mind the will of Christ that 
the Gentiles should be fetched home, that to them 
the Gospel should be preached, that on them the 
glorious light of the Gospel should shine, that they 
should inherit the promises of Christ and be made 
members of Christ, that the Jews should no longer 
be the one people accepted by God, that the Church 
of Christ should spread her branches into all 
lands, gathering in souls from the north and the 
south, from the east and west. T. C. S. 

Guided by His leading Star, 
To the footstool of your King, 

Come, ye nations, from afar, 

And your hearts as tributes bring. 

Bring your gold, an offering meet, 
All your richest treasures lay, 



MANIFEST ATT OX WEEK. 



297 



Come and lay them at tne Feet 
Of your infant King to-day. 

Incense of the living soul 

Offer in His poor abode, 
Let its clouds of perfume roll 

Round the Infant Son of God, 

Myrrh ! the emblem of that Faith, 
Which, through all His sorrows, can 

See the life which springs from death, 
Offer to the Son of Man. 

He hath rent the parting veil, 
He hath made the nations one, 

O ye ransom'd nations, hail! 
Come and hail th' eternal Sox. 

J. S. B. M. 

The Magi did three things : 

They fulfilled in part a prophecy concerning 
Christ ('The Kings of Tarshish and of the isles 
shall bring presents : the Kings of Sheba and Seba 
shall offer gifts — and He shall live, and to Him 
shall be given of the gold of Sheba; prayer also 
shall be made for Him continually ; and daily shall 
He be praised/) Ps. lxxii., 10, 15. (' The multi- 
tude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of 
Midian and Ephah ; all they from Sheba shall come ; 



298 



epiphany, Era 



they shall bring gold and incense ; and they shall 
show forth the praises of the Lord.') Isa., lx., 6. 

They themselves had a prophetical character. 
They prefigured Heathendom coming to worship 
Christ. And if they were of royal race (as seems 
probable), they were prophetical of the future sub- 
jection of all Kings to Christ, as King of Kings 
and Lord of Lords. 

And (as subsequent events have shown) their 
offerings had a symbolical and prophetical character. 

Gold — signifying all that is most costly to 
be given to Christ, the Universal Lord. Ps. 
Ixxii., 15, 'To Him shall be given of the gold 
of Arabia; Prayer (typified by the Frankin- 
cense) shall be made daily unto Him.' 

Frankincense — the fragrant incense of 
Prayer (Ps. cxli. 2, Rev. v.. S) offered 
through Him and by Him as our Great 
High Priest, within the veil (Levit. xvi., 12, 
13) before the mercy-seat of God, in the 
Golden Censer of His merits. 

Myrrh — 1 They did it for His burial.' He 
had myrrh presented to Him on the Cross 
(Mark xv., 23), and myrrh for the embalming 
of His body in the tomb (John xix., 39). 
. . . Thus their act was like a Creed. In 
their prostration and presents, the Heathen World 
fell down and did homage to Christ, yet an Infant 



MANIFESTATION "WEEK, 



299 



in Bethlehem ; and they presignified the times when 
all Kings and Nations will fall down before Him 
sitting on His judgment-seat and Royal Throne at 
the Great Day. W. 

THERE ARE THREE GIFTS. 
There are three Gifts, three Homages, 

Three Offerings of Love intense, 
The Christian soul must bring; and these 

Are Gold, and Myrrh, and Frankincense, 

The offering to God's Aspect 

Of all the judgment can unfold, 
The homage of the intellect, 

The light of Wisdom — -this is Gold, 

To bow submissive to the rod 

Meekly the shafts of spite to bear, 

To raise the broken heart to God 
In loving Patience— this is Myrrh. 

To try the Gold, and purify 

The Gift of Myrrh, by raising hence 

The soul in ardent prayer on high— 
This the best gift of Frankincense. 

The Myrrh were wormwood, Gold were dross, 
Unhallowed by the Prayer of Love ; 

Then haste thee to the blessed Cross, 
Vain else thy hopes to rise above. 



300 



EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Angels, Christian soul, round thee stand 
And if they bear thy treasure hence ; 

Be thine the care to fill their hand 

With Gold, and Myrrh, and Frankincense. 

And if in golden censers, they 

Ceaseless to God, these offerings bear, 

Be thine the task, by watching aye, 
New stores of grace to forward there. 
(Slightly altered.) O. O. 

The Magi saw the Star in the East ; they came to 
Jerusalem, and obtained the information they 
desired respecting it. The chief priests and scribes 
knew the prophecies concerning Jesus, but they 
partook not of the zeal of the wise men. Knowledge 
avails nothing to the soul, if the Spirit of God has 
not been sought, or if the heart has been hardened. 

.... The Magi sought a King. They were 
directed to a small hut . . . . Learned men and 
wise books may be consulted as to when (where ?) 
thou mayest look for Thy Saviour, but they will not 
guide thee unto Him ; it is the light of the Holy 
Spirit which alone will show thee where the Holy 
Child is. After making inquiries thou mayest see 
the Star, and then thou wilt rejoice with exceeding 
great joy ; for a time thy path will be enlightened, 
and thou wilt go on thy way rejoicing. The Star 



MANIFESTATION WEEK. 



301 



may then withdraw its light ; it may be good for 
thee that the sensible comforts and helps of religion 
be withdrawn from thee for a season ; and thou wilt 
have to go on, in dryness of spirit, without a ray of 
kindly light of that blessed Star. — Lo ! the Star 
again shines before thee, poor soul ! Now mayest 
chou again rejoice in the divine favour ; but rejoice 
with that simple, child-like, un-anxious joy, which 
asks no questions, makes no doubt, but enters silent- 
ly, and worships its Lord, its Saviour, and its God. 

M. A, 

This is the day which specially reminds us that 
every soul of man may hear the joyful call, 'Arise, 
shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the 
Lord is risen upon thee.' (Isa. ix. i.) . . . . 

The Epiphany was the beginning of a great light; 
it was rising above the Hill of the Nativity of the 
Sun of Righteousness, which was thenceforth to 
shine on all, with rays of illumination, blessing, and 
peace. O how universal was the need thereof! 

For behold, darkness had covered the earth, and 
gross darkness the people 

It was in truth a darkened world: all, both Jew 
and Gentile, were under sin; all were in bondage; all 
under the curse; all alienated from God; all, even 
the seekers after God, without a Mediator, and, so 
far, without hope. Outwardly, strange to say, all 



302 



EPIPHANY, ETC. 



nations were at peace; inwardly, that is, as spiritual 
beings, they were at enmity with God; by nature 
children of wrath, living (0 what a life!) in the 
region of the shadow of death. 

Then, suddenly, the Saviour, promised all through 
the ages, was born, and light sprang up, like the in- 
stantaneous rising of the sun, making all things new 
and beautiful, the very world of God. What a 
change was this. For the Tews first, since He would 
not cast away His elect, the Redeemer came to Zion, 
to be the glory of His people Israel, if they would but 
welcome Him as their King. And then to all man- 
kind, for He was to be the Light of the world, His 
gladdening beams shot forth on every side, that all 
might see the Way, and know the Truth, and gain 
the Life 

By the manifestation, then, of Jesus as the Christ, 
Who can save us all. God has once for all removed 
the darkness. It is indeed most sadly true that 
there is still a darkness which men cherish. But 
this is a darkness which they create for themselves, 
loving darkness rather than light, because their 
deeds are evil, and so causing their own condemna- 
tion, as our Lord Himself declares. As far as the 
act and purpose of God are concerned. ' the dark- 
ness is past, and the true light now shineth.' (Isa. 
xxv. 7, S.) — The Revelation and Incarnation of 
God lias enabled all believers to become 4 the chil- 



MANIFESTATION WEEK. 



303 



dren of light, and the children of the day/ (I Thes. 
v. 5)! — This was the gracious inward work of the 
Epiphany. 

. . . . But then we must look to it well,— 
while it is called to-day, that we do obey the calls ; 
if we would be partakers of the consolation. 

A truly awakened heart can no more delay to 
come to Christ the Lord than the wise men from 
the East could hesitate about attending to the 
warning of the Star, or following instantly its guid- 
ance. Procrastination is not only the thief of time; 
it may even be the loss of eternity. Many of us 
have put off too long already the duties which Jesus 
has made plain to us. We know that He has been 
telling us all these years to come forward for His 
Baptism ; to have the courage and the humility to 
seek Him in His laying on of hands; to approach 
Him reverently, faithfully, constantly, at His Own 
Holy Table; and above all, while we use all these, 
to own Him by ? brave consistent life, a life that is 
pure and sober, thoroughly honest and true Are 
you not thus called ? You can yet obey His bidding. 
The light is about your path, and about your bed ; 
and the grace of our Lord is ready for you ! 'Walk 
while you have the light, lest darkness come upon 
you.' IS. John xii. 35.) G. E. J. 

When the Lord was born at Bethlehem, as He 



304 



EPIPHANY, ETC. 



chose from among the poor, the shepherds to adore 
Him, so from among the great and rich of the enrth, 
He would have the Wise Men (who are commonly 
accounted to have been Kings) to know Him. But 
the poor, as being less quick in worldly matters, He 
called by the clear and express bidding of the 
Heavenly Angels ; and these great ones of the earth, 
as being more indisposed and indifferent to spiritual 
things, by that in which they were better skilled, 
more pleasantly attracting them to Himself through 
their knowledge of Astronomical science. Nor is it 
a new thing for God thus to accommodate Himself 
to our ways, and to avail Himself of whatever op- 
portunity He may find in us, to draw us to Himself: 
as a loving Father Who knows how, out of the 
weakness and miseries of His children, to devise 
the means of their salvation. F. T. D. J. 

The following " Reason of our Lord's Epiphany 99 
is a remarkable instance of an " occasional method 99 
by S. Peter Damiani " of stringing together texts of 
scripture, with scarcely any connecting words of his 
own." 

When the Almighty Word (Wisd. xviii. 15.) had 
not yet leaped down from heaven out of the royal 
throne, (Wisd. xviii. 14.) that night was in the midst 
of her course, and (Isa. ix. 2.) the people walked in 
darkness, for they (S. John iii. 19.) loved darkness 



MANIFESTATION WEEK. 



305 



rather than light : and following various errors, (Ps. 
xii. 9.) the ungodly walked on every side, and (S. Matt, 
xxii. 5.) went their way,, one to his farm, another to 
his merchandise, (Rom. i. 21.) and their foolish heart 
was darkened, because (Ps. lxix. 24.) their back was 
ever bowed down to the work of their own hands. 
All those Ancient (1 Cor. x. 1) fathers were under 
this cloud, because (Dan. vii. 2.) they saw in the night 
visions, and (2 Cor. iii. 7.) could not steadfastly behold 
the face of Moses, for the glory of his countenance, 
(2 Cor. iii. 15.) for a veil was over their hearts, (Ps. 
xviii. 11.) dark water and thick clouds to cover them. 
When (Lam. iv. 2.) the precious sons of Sion, compara- 
ble to fine gold, were esteemed as earthen pitchers, the 
work of the hands of the potter,— when (Lam. iv. 1.) the 
stones of the sanctuary were scattered at the head of all 
the streets, when (Isa. i. 5, 22.) her silver became dross, 
her wine mixed with water,— -when (Lam. iv. 1.) the 
gold beca77ie dim, and the most fine gold changed,— 
when (Ps. xiv. 2.) there was none that did good, no, 
not one, — then, (S. Matt, xxvii. 45.) there was darkness 
over all the earth : because both the Jews and the 
Gentiles made their bed in shades, and dwelt (S. 
Luke i. 79.) in darkness and the shadow of death. 
But since then, (Rom. xiii. 12.) the night, was far 
spent, the day was at hand, and, (Acts xii. 7.) a light 
shifted in the prison, and, (Ps. cxii. 4.) there arose up 
light in the darkness, when (S. Luke i, 78.) the Day- 



306 



EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Spring from on high visited us, and that (Rev. xxii. 
1 6.) Bright and morning Star, which knows no set- 
ting, arose upon us, when that (S. John i. 9.) True 
Light which lighteneth every man that cometh into the 
world, shone in the (S. John i. 5.) darkness, and the 
darkness comprehended it not. M. P. 

The Wise Men an Example to all Chris- 
tians. The wise men came, let us also come ; for it 
is written, Come unto ?ne, all ye thai labour and are 
heavy laden, and I will ref resh you. And in another 
place, Come unto me, ye that desire me. The wise 
men sought, let us also seek : for it is written, Seek 
ye the Lord while He may be found. The wise men 
fell down, let us also fall down; for it is written, O 
come let us worship and fall down. The wise men 
worshipped, let us also worship ; for it is written, 
Worship the Lord in His holy temple. 1 The wise 
men offered, let us also offer ; for it is written, / 
beseech you therefore, brethren, that ye offer your 
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which 
is your reasonable service. Let us also offer those 
three things of which the wise men made their obla- 
tions, yet after a different fashion from them. Let 
us offer the myrrh of mortification, by mortifying 
our bodies which are upon earth, by taking no care to 
fulfil the desires of the flesh, by crucifying our bodies 
with their affections and lusts ; and yet in all these 



MANIFESTATION WEEK. 



307 



things, as is aforesaid, let our service be reasonable. 
Let us offer the incense of devout prayers, accord- 
ing to that saying of the Apostle, / will pray with 
the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding 
also ; I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing 
with the tender stan ding also ; to the end that my 
prayer may be set forth in Thy sight like the i?icense. 
Let us offer also gold, the splendour of wisdom ; for 
gold signifies wisdom, according to that saying, a 
desirable treasure is in the mouth o f the wise ; that we 
may be prepared to give a reason to every one that 
demands it of the faith and hope that is in us, and 
may shine with the brightness of wisdom, and may 
fearlessly contend against the darkness of heresy, 
and may be able to say, The law of Thy mouth is 
dearer unto me than thousands of gold and silver. 

M. E. 

COMING TO JESUS. 

We may well consider the difficulties which the 
wise men had to encounter as they came to Jesus. 
It was no easy pilgrimage. We may be sure that it 
would involve them in much derision. Many who 
would even share with them in astrological specula- 
tion would look scornfully upon the idea of acting 
upon such a belief. 

It was a journey of state as well as a pilgrimage 
of religion. It would involve much preparation. 



308 



EPIPHANY, ETC. 



They could have but little notion of what would be 
expected of them. 

Let us consider some features of their progress 
which may serve as types of the soul's pilgrimage as 
it advances from the condition of nature to the king- 
dom of grace. 

1. Their own nation was in a hopeless condition of 
ruin. 

We cannot come to Jesus, unless we realize our 
natural condition of misery. We must come to Him 
as our only hope. The wise men were not now 
making this journey merely by way of experiment. 
They knew themselves to be acting upon the 
strength of ancient prophecy, corroborated by the 
facts of nature. If we would seek Jesus as the 
Healer of our natural difficulties, we must come to 
Him as the Deliverer promised by God, and we 
must recognize Him by the sufficient testimony of 
reasonable evidence. 

2. The wise men recognized the Saviour by ac- 
credited signs. 

The world has many saviours to whom it invites 
us by self-assenting clamour. Many come in their 
own name, and the worldly heart gives them wel- 
come. The only Saviour from whom we can find 
real help is the Lord of Creation, and we may be 
sure that His action will bear upon itself the marks 
of His Divine character. — His work of grace, how- 



MANIFESTATION WEEK. 



309 



ever stupendous in its development, will bear evi- 
dence of having been prepared from the beginning. 
Thus must we come to Christ as the Saviour 
promised to our forefathers — We must accept the 
religion of Christ because it has grown up with the 
history of the world — Prophecy — when completed, 
was finally to be sealed with Divine Authority by 
the strict fulfilment of every fore-announced detail. 
Thus it was that the wise men came — so must 
it be with us. Our faith must be based upon the 
evidence of prophecy. — The Christian religion is the 
only one which solves the history of the world. 

3. The wise brought to Him their gifts. 

If we would come to Christ we must not come 
empty. It is not that He needs our treasures, but 
He needs our hearts 

It is only by what we bring to Jesus that we can 
be accepted of Him. The moral nature in which: 
we are born is that which needs to be renovated. It 
must be given to Him in order that He may renew, 
it with His own life, taking us individually into 
Himself. 

We abide in Christ by the acts which we do in 
His strength ; and although we cannot serve Him by 
nature, we cannot receive His grace except 
through the moral acts of that nature which He 
quickens while we consecrate it to Him. Wise are 
the treasures which we must open. 



310 



EPIPHANY, ETC. 



. . . . . . Christ is born as King of the 

Jews and the Heir of a Covenant which God could 
not set aside. The wise men, therefore, were not 
brought straight to Christ by a message from 
Heaven ; but as they were led by the star to begin 
their journey, so they were to seek from the guar- 
dians of the ancient covenant the final solution of 
their difficulties. 

In this we see how God delights to act according 
to fixed law. He does not set aside covenanted 
relationships to make way for personal faith. Al- 
though that which was of limited comprehension 
was to receive so vast an augmentation, yet was it 
not to be destroyed. The Gentiles were to be 
gathered in ; but if the Jew was cast out it was 
because he rejected God, not because God rejected 
the appointed organization which His covenanted 
love had chosen of old 

The Covenant people are the chosen guardians of 
Holy Writ. 

The teachers of Jerusalem, dull as they were, 
could nevertheless give them, the information which 
they needed. R. M. B. 

Readings. Num. xx. 15-17. Isa. ix. xl xlii. xliii. 
xlix. lv. 1-5 lx. S. Matt. ii. iii. 1-18. xv. 21-29. S. 
Mark 1. 1-14. S. Luke iii. xiii. 38-49. xv. 8-12. 
xvii. 22-31. S. John ih iv. Acts viii. 26-41. xi. 



MANIFESTATION WEEK. 



311 



1-19. Rom. xi. I Cor. x. 1-14. Gal. iii. 27 — iv. 8. 
Ephes. iii. 1-13. II Thes. i. ii. iii. Titus ii. 11 and 
following vs., iii. 4-7. I Pet. ii. 9-12. I John v. 
Rev. xxi. 23-27. See Bible Com. Place Book, 

How did Christ manifest Himself to the Gentiles 
during His life on earth ? S. Matt. ii. i-ix. iv. 12- 
16. viii. 5-13. xvii. 24-27. xxviu 2, 32, 54. S. Mark vii, 
24-30. S. Luke vi. 1 7. viii. 26-39. xxxiii. 26. S. T. 

Sections 18. 41-65. 170-174. 226-231. 259. 3x1- 
328. 365. of Neale's Moral Concordance of S. 
Antony, See also Carter's Footsteps of the Holy 
Child. Also Art. xvii. 

MANIFESTATION. 

4 Mother,' asked a child, 6 since nothing is ever 
lost, where do all our thoughts go ?' 

'To God,' answered the mother, gravely, i Who 
remembers them for ever.' 

' For ever !' said the child ; he bent his head, and 
drawing closer to his mother, murmured, ' I am 
frightened !' 

Which of us have not felt the same ? 

E. L. E. B. 

1 We have seen His Star in the east, and are come 
to worship him? — S. Matt. ii. 2. 

From the eastern mountains 
Passing on they come, 



EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Wise men in their wisdom 
To His humble home ; 

Stirred by deep devotion, 
Hasting from afar, 

Ever journeying onward, 
Guided by a Star. 

There their Lord and Saviour 

Meek and lowly lay, 
Wondrous light that led them 

Onward on their way, 
Ever now to lighten 

Nations from afar, 
As they journey homeward 

By that guiding Star. 

Thou Who in a manger 

Once hast lowly lain, 
Who dost now in glory 

O'er all kingdoms reign, 
Gather in the heathen, 

Who in lands afar 
Ne'er have seen the brightness 

Of Thy guiding Star. 

Gather in the out-casts, 
All who have gone astray, 

Throw thy radiance o'er them, 
Guide them on their way, 



MANIFESTATION WEEK. 



313 



Those who never knew Thee, 
Those who have wandered far, 

Guide them by the brightness 
Of Thy guiding Star. 

Onward through the darkness 

Of the lonely night, 
Shining still before them 

With Thy kindly light, 
Guide them, Jew and Gentile, 

Homeward from afar, 
Young and old together, 

By Thy guiding Star :— 

Until every nation, 

Whether bond or free, 
'Neath Thy starlit banner, 

Jesu, follows Thee, 
O'er the distant mountains 

To that heavenly home 
Where nor sin nor sorrow 

Evermore shall come. 

{.Godfrey Thring.) C. E. 



Psalms ii. xix. xxix. xxxiii. xlv. xlvi. xlvii. lxvi. 
lxvii. Ixxii. lxxvi. lxxxi. lxxxii. lxxxvi. lxxxvii. xcv. 
xcvi. xcvii. c. ex. cxv. cxvi. cxvii. exxxv. cxli. ist 
and 8th Selections. - ; 



3U 



EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Anthems. Isa. vii. 14. xl. 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9. Ix. 1, 2, 
3, 19. lxi. 10. Ps. lxxii. 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10. S. Matt. i. 
23. xxi. 9. S. Mark xi. 10. S. Luke xix. 38. S. 
John xii. 13. Any text in the Words for the Week, 
etc., etc. 

Hymns 16, 23. 27, 34 to 47 inc. 126, 146, 162, 
199, 203, 205, 257, 269, 283 to 289, inc. 291, 299, 
331, 333> 336, 33$, 346, 348, 49*> 5°3, S I0 o 12 - 

Collects 1st and 4th in Ad., 1st, 3d and 6th af., 
Epiph. Quinq. Easter-Even. Easter, 5th. af. Eas. 
8th, 9th, nth, 14th, 17th, 19th, 20th, 24th, 25th af., 
Trin. Circ. Inn. Conv. of S. Paul, S. John Bapt. 

* We have see?i His Star in the East. '— S. Matt, 
ii. 2. 

' Brightest and best of the sons of the morning, 
Dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid ; 

Star of the East, the horizon adorning, 
Guide where our Infant Redeemer is laid. 

Cold on his cradle the dew-drops are shining, 
Low lies His Head with the beasts of the stall ; 

Angels adore Him in slumber reclining, 
Maker and monarch and Saviour of all. 

Say, shall we yield Him, in costly devotion, 
Odours of Edom, and offerings divine, 



MANIFESTATION WEEK. 



315 



Gems of the mountain, and pearls of the ocean, 
Myrrh from the forest, and gold from the mine ? 

Vainly we offer each ample oblation, 

Vainly with gifts would His favor secure ; 

Richer by far is the heart's adoration, 

Dearer to God are the prayers of the poor. 

Brightest and best of the sons of the morning, 
Dawn on our darkness, and lend us Thine aid : 

Star of the East, the horizon adorning, 
Guide where our Infant Redeemer is laid.' 



316 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, 
ETC., OR YOUNG PEOPLE'S WEEK, 



THE CHRIST CHILD. 
Jesus a child His course begun : 

How radiant dawned His heavenly day ! 
And those who such a race would run 

As early should be on their way. 

G. T. R. 

HOME COLLECT. 
O God Who didst cause Thy holy Child Jesus to 
be taken to the Passover by His earthly parents that 
by a good confession in Thy temple He might mani- 
fest His love for Thee, and afterwards, in His faith- 
fulness teach that they who confess Him before men 
He will confess before Thee ; grant us Thy Spirit 
ever to fulfil the same to Thy everlasting glory, and 
our eternal welfare, through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen, C. F. H. 



The Church commemorates Christ's Epiphany, 
that is, His manifestation as the Light of the world, 

317 



318 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



of the Gentiles as well as of the Jews, in the season 
especially dedicated to this mystery, and then goes 
on to apply it to the instruction of her children. 
For in her great wisdom and care for their salvation, 
she ever mingles practice with doctrine, never separ- 
ating faith from works. The Saviour of mankind 
came and appeared 1 to give light to them that sat 
in darkness and the shadow of death f by which is 
meant, the Gentile world, dark and bewildered. The 
first Collect after the Epiphany, therefore, suppli- 
cates our Lord's merciful acceptance of our prayers, 
calling upon Him for spiritual illumination, that we 
may see our way, and have strength to walk in it ; 
that, being called out of darkness; and being 
enlightened and healed by the rays of the Sun of 
Righteousness, we may proceed without stumbling, 
as in the day of light and truth, leading to life 
eternal. 

This our happy course of Christian life the Church 
very plainly points out in her Epistles, and particu- 
larly in those for the three first of the Sundays after 
Epiphany; the number of these Sundays being yearly 
more or fewer, according as Easter is later or earlier. 
On the three first Sundays she reads the whole of the 
1 2th Chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, who had 
been converted from the dismal state of heathenism 
to the purity and holiness manifested by the Gospel, 
that is, the glad tidings of salvation by Christ. The 



YOUNG PEOPLE'S WEEK. 



319 



principal virtues which this day's Epistle enforces 
are, purity and humility ; presenting our bodies holy 
to God, and forsaking the corrupt fashions of the 
world ; conforming to the good will of God in all 
things, and submissively keeping that place in the 
Church, Christ's mystical body, where He has set 
us. And thus, each in his station and capacity 
contributing his share, the good of the whole and of 
its several members shall be best forwarded. 

The holy Gospel draws our attention to our 
Lord's appearing or manifestation in the temple, 
when He was twelve years old. Then and there He 
entered upon His Father's business. 

C S. 

Not only as a sacrifice 

Our blessed Saviour came, 
But to shew forth how we may live 

In this world free from blame. 

Few are the words to us vouchsaf'd 

To tell how pass'd His time, 
While He in wisdom grew, and height, 

Up to His manhood's prime. 

Yet though but few, a perfect rule 

They give our ways to guide, 
Obedience to our parents teach, 

And love to all beside. 



320 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Exactness to fulfil the Law, 

And do our work with zeal, 
But Oh, how sadly we fall short, 

We must with anguish feel. 

O may we strive, ourselves to walk, 

In His most holy way; 
And for God ( s help to keep us right 

Let us devoutly pray. 

Pray we thankful hearts to feel 

The value of His gift ; 
That, when our Lord has gone before, 

He may our spirits lift ! 

C. C. Y. 

The presence of our Lord upon this occasion in 
the Temple is an expression of His resolve to 6 fulfil 
all righteousness,' u e. y to submit to all the ordU 
nances which belonged to the earthly condition in 
which He condescended to be born. The male 
child of Jewish parents was by Circumcision ad- 
mitted into the Covenant, but did not take upon 
Himself the full responsibility thereby incurred 
until He arrived at the age of twelve years. Then, 
after due instruction in the precepts of the Law, He 
was admitted to all the rights and duties of a son of 
Abraham. To go up to the public feasts was a 
special privilege of the adult Jews 



YOUNG- PEOPLE'S WEEK. 



321 



We can scarcely fail to recognize herein the pro- 
totype of the rite of Confirmation as practiced in 
our Church. As our Lord, in instituting the two 
sacraments generally necessary to Salvation, was 
pleased to adopt as their outward signs rites then in 
use among the Jews, and to make them the channel 
of new and more divine graces, so it is not im- 
probable that the practice of the Jews was repre- 
sented in the Early Church by the rite of Confirma- 
tion so soon as the Laying on of Hands ceased to 
be a part of the Baptismal Office. At all events, it 
is certain that He Who is a pattern to men at every 
period of his life, is herein in a marked manner set 
forth as an example to the voung. 

S. E. G. 

EARLY PIETY. 

1 The first fruits — thou ska It give Him.' 

Young and happy, while thou art, 

Not a furrow, on thy brow, 
Not a sorrow, in thy heart, 

Seek the Lord, thy Maker, now ! 
In its freshness, bring the flow T er, 

While the dew, upon it, lies; 
In the cool and cloudless hours 

Of the morning sacrifice. 

Life will have its evil years; 
When its skies are overcast; 



322 



FIEST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIFHANTT, ETC. 



All the present, thronged with fears, 
And, with vain regrets, the past; 

Let him tremble, who, his heart 
In an hour like this, would bring, 

Lest Jehovah say, — i depart! 

'Tis a worn, and worthless thing.' 

As the first fruits of the year 

Have been chosen of the Lord, 
So the first fruits of the heart, 

On His altar, should be poured; 
Thus the blessing, from above, 

On life's harvest, shall be given; 
Sown in tears, perhaps on earth, 

Reaped, in joyfnlness, in Heaven! 

G. W. D. 

The Lord's presence at the Passover at the age 
of twelve, was in accordance with the Jewish cus- 
tom. At that age the Jewish boys began to be 
instructed in the law, to be subject to the fasts, and 
to attend regularly the feasts, and were called the 
Sons of the Law. (Meyer in loco; Sepp, II, 172.) 
This, however, is called in question by Greswell, 
(1.396,) who asserts that boys did not become sub- 
ject to ordinances, till they had reached the age of 
fourteen years, and that the purpose for which 
Jesus was now taken up was not to celebrate the 



YOUNG PEOPLE'S WEEK. 



323 



Passover, but to be 4 made a disciple of the Law and 
to undergo a ceremony something like to our Con- 
firmation. ' He sees in this the explanation of the 
Lord's presence in the midst of the doctors. 

S. J. A. 

When Jesus was twelve years old, His parents 
took Him to the Passover at Jerusalem, \ after the 
custom of the feast.' This is the . . . . last 
glimpse of His boyhood. Hebrew parents trained 
their children for confirmation; and, in that rite, they 
took their Covenant vows on themselves; and, after- 
wards, were called Sons of the Law. 

It seems that — (when) — Jesus was confirmed, His 
human mind first became conscious of its union 
with Divine nature: and of the nature of His mission 
in the world; and that not Joseph, but God, was 
His Father. 

. . . . There is a lesson for all the world in 
the example of the parents and the Child, They 
entered Jesus into God's covenant when eight days 
old; they took Him to the Temple, to be presented 
to the Lord in infancy, and to be confirmed at 
twelve ; and used all the means God appointed in 
His law and Church, to train the Christ right- 
eously. 

They did not wait for Jesus to be old enough to 
choose His religion — whether He would be Jew or 



324: FXKST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, ETC, 

Gentile — but used their authority to train Him 
according to God's covenant. And it is a lesson for 
all parents telling them that training children in 
obedience to God's ways, is the way to God's favour 
and happiness here, and to His kingdom in heaven 
hereafter. 

L. C. 

At twelve years of age the law required the pres- 
ence of all males thrice a year in the Holy City, to 
celebrate the appointed festivals. When Jesus was 
twelve years old the parents took Him with them tc 
Jerusalem. Among the Jews, when a boy entered 
his thirteenth year he was called a ' son of the law' 
and was initiated into its observances. 

J. N. 

It was the custom among the Jews to bring their 
children at the age of 13 (by which the author may 
mean fully 12 years of zge C. F. H.) to be publicly 
examined before the congregation, and to make a 
solemn promise that they would from thenceforward 
engage themselves faithfully to observe the law of 
Moses, and so be accountable for their own sins ; 
after which engagement followed the prayers of the 
congregation that God would bless and enable them 
to make good their promise. Although Confirma- 
tion is generally thought to be deduced from this 



YOUNG PEOPLE'S WEEK. 



325 



practice, yet we must look for its more immediate 
institution to Apostolic times, This we find in Acts, 
viii., where we read that when Philip the Deacon 
had converted and baptized the Samaritans, the 
Aspostles Peter and John were deputed to complete 
the work to which the Deacon, as an inferior min- 
ister, was incompetent; and ' when they laid their 
hands on them they received the Holy Ghost,' A 
like occurrence took place at Ephesus, for ' after the 
disciples had been baptized in the name of the Lord 
Jesus,' S. Paul laid his hands on them, and then they 
received the Holy Ghost (Acts xix. 5, 6.) These 
show most clearly that the receiving of the Holy 
Ghost (one may be born of the Holy Ghost and 
afterward receive the gift or gifts of the Holy 
Ghost) was not the result of Baptism, but of the 
imposition of hands; and that laying on of hands was 
necessary to perfect and complete the Ephesians. 
even after they had been baptized. In the Epistle 
to the Hebrews, vi, 2. this laying on of hands being 
classed with baptism among the chief elements 
of the Christian faith, is thereby marked for perpe- 
tual observance. Dr. Hole, J, J, 

Blest be Thy love ! Thou Saviour dear ! 

Thy thoughtful love for ever blest ! 
Which unto man doth stoop so near 

To make Thy goodness manifest. 



326 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



The greatness of that mighty love 
Which does not little things despise, 
. But to be meek and good would prove 
Is to be truly great and wise. 

Blest be that love ! and blest the homes 
When taught by Thine example true, 

Childhood is trained till manhood comes, 
And lead us forth Thy will to do. 

J. S. B. M. 

The Gospel for to-day. in which our Lord appears 
before us for once as a Child, is so full ot life and in- 
struction, that we may consider the Epistle through- 
out with reference to it, as calling us to the same child- 
like, loving obedience ; that so, fulfilling all Christian 
righteousness, we may be found in Him as the Sons 
of God, may keep the true Passover, and go up with 
the Divine Child to the Jerusalem which is above, 
which is the Mother of us all. 

S. Paul had been dwelling, at great length, in this 
Epistle to the Romans, on the unsearchable riches 
and goodness of God in grafting the Gentiles into 
the stock of Israel, whereby they were become par- 
takers of all the promises made to the Jews of old ; 
which he sums up by this appeal : I beseech you 
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye pre- 
sent your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto 
God, which is your reasonable service. . . . . 



YOUNG PEOPLE S WEEK. 



327 



It may be observed (with that which follows in the 
Epistle) in this consideration of S. Paul, that humil- 
ity becomes lost in love, let no one think highly of 
himself, for we are all members one of another ; and 
then brotherly love itself is lost in the love of God. 
For we are all one Body, he says, and that Body is 
Christ. 

Thus in Christ must all Christian teaching begin 
and end ; He is Himself the true Passover, and the 
Lamb that is offered ; in Him alone is all rea- 
sonable service, and filial obedience. He is the New 
Man to Whom we are to be transformed day by 
day, by the renewing of our mind. It is as parts of 
His Body, as limbs and members of Him, that 
we are to learn humility and love to one another ; 
it is in Him we are to be about our Father's business 
and in His house. He is Himself that little child 
according to Whose pattern we are to humble our- 
selves. 

Thus the Epistle for the day may be found to 
connect itself, in a very beautiful manner, with the 
Gospel; for where can this humility be better taught; 
from what does it all flow but from the example of 
this Divine Child, Who at the same time that He is 
the most lowly and obedient among children, is also 
the Lord and King of Heaven ? From what other 
source do the Highest Angels which see His face in 
heaven, learn this lesson of holy charity, that, as 



3L'S FIKST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, ETC. 

our Lord says, they watch over His little ones upon 
earth ! It is no doubt from seeing that their own 
Lord and Master has been pleased thus to humble 
Himself as to become a little Child ; Himself teach- 
ing angels and men this lesson, while He Himself 
was submitting to be taught of the Jewish Doctors 
in the Temple. 

Thus the Epistle and Gospel seem to teach us 
one living lesson, and by a beautiful transition to 
pass from one into the other 

Our Blessed Lord does not appear before us in 
His Childhood like the Child Samuel, dwelling 
always in the Temple, removed from the ways 
of common men ; nor as John the Baptist, 
living alone in the wilderness ; nor as David when 
a youth, remarkable for great deeds of might, 
when feeding his father's flock he slew the lion and 
the bear ; but He is disclosed to us in very great 
humility in the ways of common life, as ordinary 
children are brought up, in subjection and retire- 
ment, differing only in that quick understanding in 
things Divine which arises from the love and fear of 
God. 

Of this perhaps, one reason was that our Lord 
has called upon us to imitate Him more especially in 
meekness and lowliness ; and humility is bebt se- 
cured and guarded in the most ordinary stations of 
life, and in the most common circumstances of ob- 



YOUNG PEOPLE'S WEEK, 



329 



scurity and poverty. To be different from other 
men is a temptation to pride ; subjection and obedi- 
ence to nature and lawful superiors is in itself a great 
exercise of humility, and under the cover of these, 
holiness and the love of God is cherished in the 
heart. 

Another reason for our Blessed Saviour's thus tak- 
ing upon Himself this ordinary condition as a child 
may be this ; in order that all men in their station in 
life may be able to imitate and follow Him, and which 
they could not do so well if He had appeared as one set 
apart from other men, like some of His prophets and 
servants had been. For there is no child who may 
not show obedience to his parents ; and attentive 
hearing of his instructors ; and yet at the same time 
so great a zeal and love for God's house, as to forget 
every thing else in comparison with that ; so that his 
very love and subjection to his parents should be 
seen to be nothing else, but the fruits of his love and 
obedience to Almighty God. 

And, again ; there may be also a further reason in 
this circumstance, of our Lord's being pleased to 
take upon Him this state of ordinary children ; that 
He thus learned, as man, to sympathize and have a 
fellow-feeling with the lot of mankind : in all their 
infirmities, in all their trials ; to be as a child among 
children, in a condition not differing from theirs, this 
was the choice of His love for them. To be rich and 



330 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



at ease, to be admired and cherished by others, to be 
known and talked of as a child,— this can be the lot 
of a few only among mankind, even were it good for 
them ; very different from this, therefore, was the 
state which our Blessed Saviour chose for Himself; 
one that differed it may be, in nothing else from that 
of ordinary poor children, except in extraordinary 

piety and goodness 

What, therefore, is the one great weekly lesson 
which we are to learn from this Divine narrative ? 
If we look around us and in ourselves, we find 
' trouble about many things ' (that pass away). . . 
. . But if for this one week we will meditate on 
this short lesson, which the Church of all ages and 
countries has connected with it, we shall learn the 
very opposite to which the world teaches, both from 
within and from without; namely, this : That there 
is nothing worthy to be loved but God ; nothing to 
be dreaded but sin. I. W. 

Let folly praise that fancy loves, 

I praise and love that Child 
Whose heart no thought, whose tongue no word, 

Whose head no deed defiled. 

I praise Him most ; I love Him best, 

All praise and love is His ; 
While Him I love, in Him I live, 

And cannot live amiss. 



YOUNG PEOPLE'S WEEK. 



331 



Love's sweetest mark, land's highest theme, 

Man's most desired light, 
To love Him life, to leave Him death, 

To live in Him delight. 

He mine by gift, I His by debt, 

Thus each to other due, 
First friend He was, best friend He is, 

All times will try Him true. 

Though young, yet wise ; though small, yet strong ; 

Though man, yet God He is ; 
As wise He knows, as strong He can, 

As God He loves to bless. 

His knowledge rules, His strength defends, 

His love doth cherish all ; 
His birth our joy, His life our light, 

His death our end of thrall. 

Alas ! He weeps, He sighs, He pants, 

Yet doth His angels sing ; 
Out of His tears, His sighs and throbs, 

Doth bud a joyful spring. 

Almighty Babe, Whose tender arms, 

Can force all foes to fly, 
Correct my faults, protect my life, 

Direct me when I die ! S. P. W. 



332 FIRST SUNDAY AFTEE THE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Obedience (says S. Augustine) is no where more 
perfectly shewn, than when God forbids a thing 
altogether indifferent in itself, and which, had not 
God forbidden it, would be lawful and right: because 
thus it is shewn that the excellency of obedience 
stands not in hindering ourselves from doing wrong, 
but in doing rightly. Or, more correctly, that it is not 
less perfectly displayed in the good which we leave 
undone, because we are commanded to do so, than 
in the good which we do for the same reason. For 
the only real value of obedience is in itself, and not 
in the circumstances which call it forth. Hence 
appears this truth, that to know how to obey is all 
that a Christian need to know, and to practice this 
obedience is his highest perfection. 

Disobedience, for the most part, 
springs from three false and poisonous roots. Of 
these, the first is self-pride, and conceit, which 
blind the soul, and render it utterly unconscious of 
its own natural vileness : thus making it utterly intol- 
erant, in another, of that superiority which it 
believes to be inherent in itself. . . . 

The second of these roots of evil is an over-con- 
fidence in our own judgment and understanding, 
which is but another kind of self-blindness, and 
commonly has for its companions stubbornness and 
arrogance, This is an evil so hard to cure, that very 
few men, thus infatuated by confidence in their own 



YOUNG PEOPLE'S WEEK. 



333 



judgment, after struggling for years against this vice, 
have been able to attain a perfect victory. . . 

The third root of this evil is a heart distracted 
from God; such as fails in its obedience rather than 
distress itself, or a friend, or interfere with some 
desire, in which it places its happiness. This caused 
the fall of Adam, who, as S. Paul says, 'was not de- 
ceived,' (I Tim. ii, 14.,) as was Eve; that is, he 
neither dared to believe that he should indeed be as 
God, nor did he have any doubt about the threat 
which God held out to them if they should be dis- 
obedient; but, because he would not displease his 
companion, and because this appetite enticed him, 
he lost his obedience, and his high estate in Paradise 
together. 

F. T. D. J. 

We have been taught, in the various exercises of 
this day, in what consists the right judgment which 
we ask for in our prayers to God, that we may both 
perceive and know what things we ought to do, and also 
may have grace and power faithfully to fulfil the 
same. It is briefly comprehended in the words, 'not 
every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall 
enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth 
the will of my Father Which is in heaven,' (S. Matt, 
viii, 21.) 

We may infer from this the folly and presumption 



33 i TIKST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, ETC. 

of those, who expect the blessings of a covenant, 
without performing the conditions. A. G. 

Inspiring is the sight 
Of Manhood's Piety ! Amid the right 
Of this world's harass, work and care, 

The weary day, the shortened night 

To mark his unforgotten prayer, 

His evening questioning of heart, 

His faith still burning in its shrine; 
Loyal to Heaven, in Senate, Feast or Mart, 
Bringing to earthly labours love Divine. 

And beautiful is the Age ! 
As wordly cares do less its heart engage, 
When, like the tranquil end of day, 

Its warmest feelings cease to rage, 

And shed a clear quieting ray, 

Shining as stars, benign and fair: 

And Youth grows reverent at the sight; 
And children gather round the well-loved chair ■ 
Of Christ's tried Pilgrim, bidding earth ' Good- 
night!' 

But oh ! more sweet than all, 
Than Manhood's Faith, or Life's calm autumn fall, 
Is holy Childhood ! 'Tis the dew 
That after-hours cannot recall ; 



YOUNG PEOPLE'S WEEK. 



335 



A joy which years can ne'er renew ; 

'Tis incense in a virgin fane ; 

'Tis new fallen snow from fields above ; 
The white-bleached robe, awhile without a stain, 
Drawing our gaze of mingled awe and love, 
( Very slightly altered)) 

O. S. 

, What are you going to be ? is a question that has 
to be settled — Life is not worth calling life that is not 
downright honest work, and a man is hardly a man at 
all who is not a working man— working either with 
his hands or his brain, or both. 

In determining what your calling in life shall be 
you must consider two things. ist. Whether the 
calling you wish to follow is an honest and lawful 
one. 2nd, Whether you are fitted for it. 

If you can say yes to both these questions, then 
provided your parents approve, follow out your na- 
tural inclination. A ]ad is far more likely to suc- 
ceed in life if his heart is in his work, than if he has 
to work against the grain. . . 

Whatever calling you choose seek God and His 
righteousness first, /. e., choose that which will make 
you fit for the next world as well as that which will 
make you comfortable here. Honest work thorough- 
ly done here will be no bad passport for another 
world. When you have once chosen your calling 



336 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



stick to it, carry it out thoroughly, and with a deter- 
mination to get on. Never be in a hurry to change, 
and never do so without a good reason. Never rest 
satisfied that you have done enough, or think that 
you cannot do better. It is told of a celebrated 
sculptor, that he said, 6 1 shall fail in my next effort, 
for I am satisfied with this.' 

Aim high and do your best. . . . Every one 
who aims at getting to the top of the tree, and goes 
steadily at it will find himself at last a good way 
from the ground. B. 

It is a well known saying of a great man, not com- 
monly remarkable for the patience of his words 
towards those who differed from him, when, as he 
thought, they could not, or would not see the truths 
which were to him so plain, that if ever he found 
himself in contact with any one, old or young, who 
with the most limited ability, the narrowest intellect, 
was doing the very best he could, steadily and hum- 
bly, to understand and overcome the difficulties 
which presented themselves to him in his daily work 
■ — ' to such an one,' said he, ' I would stand hat in 
hand.' 

Yes, there can scarcely be any person more 
worthy of our reverence than he who from a sense 
of duty gives his whole power and energy to tread 
his daily path, and overcome his besetting difficul- 



YOUNG PEOPLE S WEEK. 



337 



ties with his whole soul. There is nothing more 
within the reach of every one; there is nothing more 
elevating, nothing more spiritual and Christ-like ; 
and yet how few honestly deserve this homage of 
noble breasts for what is at once so simple and so 
lofty. 

When we are very young, we are many of us in 
the habit of thinking that all we hear about virtue, 
about goodness, about truth, or kindness, or in- 
dustry, is quite true, indeed, and very right, but 
common place and dull and not very difficult. 
This mistaken idea — for mistaken it is — arises partly 
from the fact of our being very inexperienced and 
comparatively well defended from temptations. Our 
time is watchfully arranged, so that we are not able 
to be altogether idle ; it is very pleasant to give and 
to receive kindness ; and if we have ever offend- 
ed against truth we perceive a little time after that 
the temptation was small after all, and we are soon 
ashamed to look back on it. 

But another reason why, when we are young, we 
think much that is said to us about virtue and vice 
commonplace, is the great happiness that we have 
in our homes. There it is fully believed, there it is 
always acted upon, there it is like the common sun- 
shine and air which all enjoy — this sense that good- 
ness is good and vice of every kind evil. There we 
see little of the fact thai: the world, the flesh and the 



338 



FIEST SUNDAY AFTEE THE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



devil war against every human soul. We have about 
us many who may be said to have conquered, so 
that as far as can be said of any in this life, those 
fearful enemies, and so from our childhhod we have 
lived in an atmosphere of peace; it is assumed that 
we and all others are to try to be pure and true and 
good ; and so we get to think this a commonplace; a 
mere background for the rest of life, and we are for 
a while more excited about new things, bright things, 
striking things; forgetting that things new, bright 
and striking, are very unlikely to be the greatest 
things. 

After a while, after the road of life has been up 
hill for a little time— after the heat and burden of life 
have begun to be felt, and after we had some of 
those encounters which are so vividly and truthfully 
described, in the great scriptural allegory of the 
1 Pilgrim's Progress,' the veil begins to grow thinner 
that is before our eyes ; the mists rise, the forms of 
things which had seemed great are seen in their 
truth; they are but little mounds, low and almost 
insignificant, close to the road ; we had thought 
them great because they were magnified by our 
ignorance of the world. And true it is that things 
which we have always heard about, but never really 
seen, never really attempted perhaps to see, rise 
towering above us and far from us, mountains 
which must be crossed ere we can reach the 



YOUNG PEOPLE'S WEEK. 



339 



promised land; mighty primeval forms clothed in 
purest snow and finest air, — Virtue, Truth, Good- 
ness, Faith. At last we see their grandeur. At last 
we mark their splendor. Then they rise, familiar 
names, hitherto unrealized realities. At once it 
becomes evident that we must reach those summits; 
at once we see that it will, after all, be very difficult; 
at once we see that any difficulty and any danger is 
worth encountering for the sake of reaching those 
mountain thrones. 

B. S. W. C. 

Lives of all great men all remind ua 

We can make our lives sublime, 
And, departing, leave behind us 

Footprints, on the sands of timer- 
Footprints that perhaps another, 

Sailing o'er life's solemn main, 
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, 

Seeing shall take heart again. 
Let us, then, be up and doing, 

With a heart for any fate, 
Still achieving, still pursuing, — ■ 

Learn to labor and to wait. 

{Longfellow) B. G. M. 

My brother — you have an existence in which the 
grandest and most terrific possibilities are wrapped 



340 



FIRST SUNDAY .AFTER THE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



up. Life has been given to you. What significance 
is in the word ! Life, with its unknown treasures 
and vast capabilities; life with all its resources and 
opportunities; life with all its rich enjoyments and 
pleasurable unfoldings; life, endowed with con- 
sciousness and divine faculties; life, which begin- 
ning with - the sweetness of infancy and passing 
through the open -heartedness of school days, can 
ripen into a beauty, and strength, and force of 
goodness which, through the long ages of immor- 
tality, will find accessions of ever-augmenting 
felicity, power, and blissfulness. . . . When I discourse 
to you of the value of this transcendent gift of life, 
exaggeration is hardly possible. No language of 
men or angels can worthily set forth the full mean- 
ing of this gift. You, among creatures, are 
obviously destined to become the noblest or the 
basest of beings; the elevation with which you come 
into the universe is the measure of the grandeur to 
which you may rise, or the depth of degradation to 
which you may fall. 

The question, therefore, comes, What do you in- 
tend to do with this your life ? You have come to 
an age when this question confronts you. You 
ignore your rationality by evading it. The two 
paths of honor or dishonor are now before you; 
which do you intend to take. I put the inquiry in 
this form, — what will you do with your life ? because 



YOTXNG PEOPLE'S WEEK. 



341 



millions of men have been ruined, not so much 
through wrong intentions as through want of thought. 
They have drifted into an evil course through a 
passive unthinkingness. It is not that they have 
resolved to do bad things, but they have not re- 
solved to do good ones. Instead of being masters 
of themselves, sad to say, they have not even be- 
longed to themselves. On their forehead might 
have been once written, ' We are open to become 
the possession of whatsoever shall make captive of 
us.' Instead of controlling, they have been borne 
along by outward things, like a little boat in a dan- 
gerous stream, not carefully rowed and guided, but 
empty, and inviting any unskilled or wicked hand 
to become its master. W. G. 

There are few readers who are not ready to give 
some thought to the true idea and method of female 
education. 

We must look for the true idea reverently, 
as under religious guidance, not according to 
our own caprices or opinions. Nothing surely 
should awe our wilful conceits into docile attention, 
more than the effort to find the calling and the place 
of the being beyond all others dependent on our 
care. Where but in the School of the Creator and 
Preserver Himself, shall we learn what our daugh- 
ters are called to be under His Providence ? Where 



342 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



but therein shall we learn to decipher that fair and 
wonderful hieroglyph which God Himself carved 
out in the person of Eve, and which remains to this 
day the most expressive cipher of heaven's grace 
and care. 

The language of the Psalmist, so often quoted, is 
sufficient to define the idea of female education 
when freely interpreted. If our daughters, accord- 
ing to his prayer, should be as corner-stones, 
polished after the similitude of a palace, it is clear 
their education is to have accomplishment and 
solidity such as to fit them for their place as the 
main supports of social life. They are tc^be polished 
stones. Does not the expression bring the sanction 
of Holy Writ against the too frequent notion that 
woman is made only to be the servant of man, and 
that her chief destiny is to be the drudging under- 
ling of his will: not like the polished stone of a palace 
wall, but the rough rock at the foundation, . . . 
useful, indeed, but buried under the dust. . . . 

But this is not the chief danger now. but an op- 
posite extreme equally degrading. The danger is 
not that the daughter shall lack polish, but that she 
will have but little else, and, instead of being a 
polished stone, shall be a polished vanity with no 
substance at all. Nothing can be more false and 
fatal than the notion that the daughter is to be edu- 
cated for show, whilst the son is to be trained for 



YOUNG PEOPLE'S "WEEK. 



343 



usefulness. . . . It is very wrong to make accomplish- 
ments the main thing in female education. Accom- 
plishments are poor tricks, unless their polish is but 
smoothness of substantial knowledge and judgment. 
A showy girl who can dance, sing, and prattle two 
or three foreign languages, without being able to 
speak and write sensibly in her own tongue, is one 
of the most lamentable counterfeits, and may chance 
to blight the peace and dignity of more hearts than 
one by her shams. She is the product of that 
flashy system of training, which is doing more mis- 
chief in America than any where else, and making 
society a tawdry Vanity Fair instead of a companion- 
ship of hearts and homes. Not a few of our 
daughters seem taught to think that distinction in 
society is graduated by clothes and confectionery, 
and to measure their social honor or obscurity by 
their ability to follow the silly code of extrava- 
gance. 

What aim shall we place before our daughters in 
their early studies and keep before them in after 
years ? 

There can be but one answer, and that the most 
Christian word. It is simply this: * Daughter, you 
are under God's rule, and all your gifts and ac- 
quisitions are sacred trusts. Consecrate them by a 
true service. Look upon your life as folly and 
nothingness, until you regard it as a solemn charge 



344 FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, ETC. 

and resolve to use its opportunities faithfully. 
Choose in the first bloom of your hope the true, the 
Christian standard of character, and give religion 
the grace and power of your youthful enthusiasm. 
You have from heaven itself a sacred commission, 
large as the sphere of your sex, specific as the com- 
pass and aim of your individual talents and position. 

S. O. 

Confirmation is a landmark in a girl's spiritual 
life. Just as leaving school marks a change in her 
daily life, and throws her more upon herself, so does 
Confirmation in things spiritual. In a good home 
her spiritual life will expand under the mother's care, 
but in godless homes, where possibly the girl is the 
only one who is a communicant, or in any sense 
religious, she will have to choose and decide for 
herself. Under any circumstances the girl's religion 
to a great extend depends upon herself, because no 
one can come between God and the soul. 

What do I mean by religion ? Not feelings, not 
ceremonies, not prayers, not sacraments, not God's 
word, though all these have their place in a religious 
life, but I mean the bond that binds the girl's soul to 
God, and regulates her life by His will. If the girl 
recognizes that she is not simply one of many human 
beings, one Qf a crowd, but a beloved child of God, 
a member of Christ, bound tq Him by the closest 



YOUNG PEOPLE'S WEEK. 



345 



of love, her life will be a truly religious one, and she 
will welcome all means that will serve to keep up 
and strengthen that union. She will try everything, 
her chances of success, her places of work, her con- 
dition of life, not by the standard of her own inter- 
est, but by that of God's will. 

The first of all religious help must be the Sacra- 
ments — Sacraments must be used and persevered in, 
although the girl does not feel any better for them. 
God does not always give a sensible knowledge of 
our progress, but if Sacraments are from any cause 
given up, the girl will speedily be worse off even 
though she may fancy she feels better. 

There are two dangers that beset the spiritual 
life. The one to set too much by forms and obser- 
vances and to consider that careful and regular 
attendance is religion itself. The other is to trust 
to feelings, or as they would express it, to trust to 
the spirit, and be careless of the express commands 
of Christ to do this. 

There is another and great danger, the depend- 
ing entirely on some one person, be it lady-teacher 
or priest, and when they are for some cause removed 
scaring little for religious duties and gradually giving 
* them up. Of course the influence and help of those 
who first guided us to God must be great, and the 
desire to please them and show our gratitude cannot 
help being an inducement to us to do our best, but 



346 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



when they are removed from us we must remember 
that it is God Who takes them away for a little while, 
in order to teach us to trust more fully on Him, and 
do all for His sake. We cannot give them greater 
sorrow, or put them to greater shame, than to let 
them find that we would do - for love of them what 

we would not do for God Meet them again 

we shall one day. .... 

The keeping of the Church Seasons will be a great 
help. This does not mean keeping the feasts and 
neglecting the fasts— find some mode of marking 
Fridays and Fast days, so that the Feasts may be 
real holy-days. 

Private prayer should be said morning and eve- 
ning. Saying them in bed is not a reverent way. A 
moment of thought at noon is a great help if it be 
only the saying of the Lord's prayer. — Almsgiving 
should not be forgotten. It is a duty we owe to 
God 

Be careful not to give occasion to the enemy of 
the Lord to blaspheme.— Faults I know cannot be 
conquered at once, and the struggle against sin will 
continue till death and because of your failings neigh- 
bors will cast it in our teeth. — ' Ah, she goes to 
Church, she is a communicant ' — and the temptation 
will come to give it up and live as others. No, we 
must never give up trying. So long as we try there 
is no real reproach against us. If we are ready to 



YOUNG PEOPLE'S WEEK, 



347 



acknowledge our faults where they have injured 
others, and try ever to 'live more nearly as we pray/ 
we shall make progress, and ever win others to God, 
and may be the opportunity will arise that shall 
prove that humbly striving to follow Christ, does not 
only make us pleasing to God, but also a blessing 
to our neighbors. G. 

THE IMPORTANCE OF YOUTH. 
1 Come w T hile the morning of life is glowing, 

Ere the dim phantoms thou art chasing die ; 
Ere the gay spell which earth is round thee throwing 

Fades like the sunset of a summer's sky. 
Life has but shadows, save a promise given, 

Which lights the future with a fadeless ray ; 
Oh touch the sceptre, win a hope in heaven, 

Come, turn thy spirit from the world away. 

' Then will the crosses of thy brief existence 

Seem airy nothings to thine ardent soul ; 
And shining brightly in the forward distance, 

Will of thy patient race appear the goal. 
Home of the weary, where, in peace reposing, 

The spirit lingers in unclouded bliss, 
Though o'er its dust the curtained grave is closing, 

Who would not early choose a lot like this.' 

{Quotation) Y. B. 



348 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, ETC, 



Whatever the Lord has given, manifest it by 
using it in His service — let Him have with increase 
that which, after all, is His own. 

It is not without meaning that our Lord having 
manifested Himself at Jerusalem, went down to 
Nazareth, and having been about His Heavenly 
Father's business, was subject to His earthly parents. 
It is for you that He did it, and He would have you 
learn of Him, for He was meek and lowly of heart. 
The disciple is not above His Master — let him then 
learn this. The Son of God was born of earthly 
parents, and was subject unto them, that we might 
become the children of God ; and we are children 
of God, and every day of our lives we call God 
■ Our Father Which is in heaven.' What is the in- 
ference? ' A son honoureth his father,' said the 
Lord, by His prophet Malachi, ' and a servant his 
master ; if I be a Father, where is my honour ; if I 
be a Master, where is my fear?' Shall we do less for 
our Heavenly Father, than our Lord and our God 
did for him whom he called His earthly father ? If 
so, how dvvelleth the Spirit of God within us ? How 
are we like Christ ? Are we following His steps ? 

Depend upon it if we would show forth His glory, 
we must be content to do as He did. Received, as 
we have been, in the city of God, and considered as 
belonging to His family, we must yet go down to Naz- 
areth ; we must take the lowest seat ; we must not be 



YOUNG PEOPLE'S WEEK 



349 



high-minded, but fear; we must be subject to Him 
Who has adopted us to be His children ; and so, 
being as our Master, we shall show Him forth 
in our lives and in our conduct ; so will men see our 
good works, and glorify our Father Which is in 
Heaven. The world may see Christ no more, but 
we shall see Him ; and because He lives, we shall 
live also ; and the day will come when we shall know, 
not of faith, but of knowledge and certainty, that 
Christ is in the Father, and we in Him, and He is 
in us; and thus it is that while we are here, and our 
eyes are holden that we should not see the bodily 
presence of the Saviour, we show our love by keep- 
ing the commandments. And ' he that keepeth them/ 
said our Lord, ' shall be loved of My Father, and 
I will love him, and will Manifest Myself to him/ 

H. N. 

We are to worship God and to honour those 
whom God has set over us. ' Honour thy father and 
mother,' is a commandment bidding us to give 
honour to all unto whom honour is due. 

' Honour and succour thy father and mother ' is 
the teaching of the Cathechism in explaining this 
commandment ; while you are young obey them in 
all things ; treat them with respect ; do their will; 
address them in no familiar way, nor call them 
by familiar names ; turn your eyes from their 



350 FIRST SUNDAY AFTEB THE EPIPHANY, ETC. 

faults, and let your love, however warm and 
ardent it be, be seasoned with reverence, so that 
it may be distinguished from what you give to a 
brother or sister. When they are old continue to 
honour them, even though their senses may be 
weakened, though old age and many infirmities may 
cloud their minds. Succour them too, if they need 
your succour, and aid them not grudgingly, nor of 
necessity, for in this case above all others ' God 
loveth a cheerful giver.' It is after all no generous 
act, nothing to boast of or to glory in, for it is for 
the repayment of what you have yourself received. 
For many years you ate of the fruit of their toils ; 
and shall they not, if need be, in their turn eat of 
yours. Succour them therefore because you ought 
to give freely as you freely received ; and do this 
kindly, out of real love and honour, out of true 
affection ; think nothing of what you do ; let not 
your parents see an unwilling mind ; but so give as 
to make their minds at ease in taking what you give ; 
if you thus sweeten their last years, and support 
them when their strength is spent, you are laying 
up a store against your own day of need, and God 
will bless you when your own day of trial comes. 

But not to parents only is honour to be given, 
though they claim the first portion, and though that 
portion should be mixed with especial love ; you 
should honour and obey — all that are put in audio- 



YOUNG PEOPLE'S "WEEK. 



351 



rity — governors, judges, magistrates—all these 
receive power from God ; and as God is to be wor- 
shipped, so those who on earth promote peace, 
quietness, order, and truth, as instruments in His 
hands, are to be greatly reverenced, as bearing rule 
under Him.— — -To despise those who are set by 
God to rule, and to make our executive laws, is to 
despise Him who sets them in their place. Very 
plain are the words of the Apostle, ' Let every soul 
be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no 
power but of God ; the powers that be are ordained 
of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, 
resisteth the ordinance of God/ 

As God sends these—So He sends others to rule 
in spiritual things, in His household the Church, 
which is a spiritual kingdom, a kingdom not of this 
world ; not governed by worldly laws. You should 
honour your spiritual pastors and masters, your 
spiritual overseers and guides, those whom Christ 
Jesus has entrusted with spiritual authority over his 
flock. 6 Whosoever receiveth you ' says our Lord 
Himself to his ministers, ' receiveth me.' S. Paul 
speaking in the same strain, says, 1 Xow then we 
are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did 
beseech you by us ; we pray you in Christ's 
stead.' ' Remember them which have the rule 
over you. . . . Obey them that have the rule 
over you, and submit yourselves ; for they watch 



352 



FIE ST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



for your souls as them that must give account, that 
they may do it with joy, and not with grief.' 'We 
beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour 
among you, and are over you in the Lord, and ad- 
monish you ; and to esteem them very highly in love 
for their work's sake.' T. P. N. 

LOOK ABOVE. 
Hopes centred in this world, though seeming sure, 

Too soon are blighted at their birth ! 
On all our flowers of bliss how oft there hangs 

Some little tear-drop of the earth. 

There is no sunny day without a cloud — 

No year without its wintry breath, ■ — 1 
No fields of amaranth for ever fair, 

This side the grave — on this side death. 

Then look above, there fix thy hopes of bliss, 

There let thy best affections soar; 
Perfect and pure are joys which issue thence — 

Joys which shall last for evermore. 

Make these thine own, and God thine only thought, 

So that when troubles here increase, 
Thy one, true, changeless Friend shall comfort thee, 

And to thy sad heart whisper 'Peace !' T. D. 

Having celebrated the Nativity and Circumcision 
of our blessed Saviour, together with His Epiphany 



YOUNG PEOPLE'S WEEK. 



353 



— our Church on this Sunday — very fitly puts us 
upon making some returns for these inestimable 
favors. — 

The Collect for the day beseeches God to accept 
of the tribute and acknowledgment of our prayers 
that are offered up to Him, and withal, to give us 
the knowledge of His will, with grace and power 
faithfully to perform it. 

The Epistle for the day 6 beseeches us to present 
our bodies unto Him as a living, holy, and accepta- 
ble sacrifice, which is our reasonable service.' 

(From) the Gospel — we may learn some useful 
necessary lessons. As, — 

ist, From Joseph and Mary's punctually observ- 
ing the feast of the Passover — we may learn dili- 
gently to attend the seasons of God's holy word and 
sacraments, and not to forsake the assembling our- 
selves together at the times appointed for them, as 
the manner of some is.— 

2dly, From this holy Child's leaving His parents 
to be about His Father's business, we may learn to 
leave father and mother, to do the will of our 
heavenly Father— how little any relations of kin- 
dred are to be regarded when they prove lets or 
hindrances to true piety and service of God.— 

3dly, From Christ being subject to, and obser- 
vant of, His parents in all other things, children may 
learn to be dutiful and obedient to their parents in 



354 



FIB ST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



everything that is not contrary to the will and com- 
mands of God. 

4th, From the Son of God's increasing in wisdom 
and stature, we may learn the truth of His 
humanity. . 

Lastly, From His increasing in favor with God 
and man, we may learn how to attain to the same ; 
He did it by His obedience and submission to the 
will of God, and by acts of prudence, meekness, and 
charity towards men, which made Him highly 
pleasing and beloved of both. .... 

M. H. 

While it is true that the season of the Epiphany is 
specially charged with the manifestation of the 
Deity of Christ, whereas Christmas was specially 
concerned to reveal His manhood/ we are not to 
forget that even the Epiphany manifests the God- 
man, i the incarnate Deity.' 

In the successive and progressive series of Sundays 
in this season, we come, one after another, upon 
evidences of different attributes of Deity in the holy 
Child and in the perfect man. This week is the 
Epiphany of Wisdom, which we contemplate in Him, 
and desire for ourselves; the kind of wisdom which 
the Collect really defines in its petition, first clear- 
ness and then courage of convictions, ' to perceive 
and know what we ought to do,' and to have 1 grace 
and power, to fulfil it.' 



YOUNG PEOPLE^ WEEK. 



355 



Of course the striking picture, and the central 
figure of that picture, is the Boy of twelve years old 
in the midst of the doctors in the temple, manifest- 
ing here not merely Divine wisdom, much less 
the human wisdom in which He grew, but far 
more revealing Himself as 'the Wisdom of God;' 
as Solomon's proverbs revealed Him long before ; 
where Wisdom, the Person speaks : ' I Wisdom 
was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, 
or ever the earth was, . then was I by 

Him as one brought up with Him, and I was daily 
His delight, rejoicing alway before Him.' Close 
beside this is the human side of this strange story; the 
Child's mind growing in wisdom as His body in 
"stature, while all the time the fulness of the God- 
head dwelt bodily in Him. In one way, the sun is 
shining in His glory. In another, it is shining, by 
reflection, in the star. If we may say it, not 
irreverently, it is the Epiphany of the GoD-boy. 

W. C. D. 

(In the Collect) the Latin has the word ' vota 1 
('vows' or desires) where our translation, some- 
what more tamely, has 'prayers.' 'Vows ' or 'de- 
sires ' are words expressive of more fervour and 
spirituality than the word ' prayers.' Prayers may 
be only the utterance of the lips ; we may say them 
without feeling them ; but a vow is, in the strict and 



356 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



original meaning of the word, a prayer emphasised 
by some promise, which is to be fulfilled condition- 
ally on an answer being given to prayer. Hence a 
vow means a prayer in its intensified form — a 
prayer which is the expression of some work on 
which our whole heart and soul is bent. ' Fervent 
desire ' is perhaps the nearest approach we can make 

to the meaning in English 

Observe what God (both in the original and in 
the translation) is implored to do with these pray- 
ers, the utterances of fervent desire. Not absolutely 
to grant them. God 6 gave ' the Israelites ' their 
desire,' when he showered the quails two cubits 
deep about their camp; but He 4 sent leanness 
withal into their souls.' (Ps. cvi. 15, P. B. V., and 
Num. xi. 4, 31,32, 33.) Some things which we wish 
for (more especially in youth) with passionate 
intensity, might prove not bread, but either stones 
or serpents, impediments in the heavenly race, or 
even venomous to the higher life of our spirits. 
Therefore however fervent may be our desires, and 
however full and free our liberty of making them 
known at God's throne of grace, we may not ask 
without reserve for the fulfilment of them. But 
does it follow that, because God does not grant a 
request, and could not do so consistently with the 
petitioner's welfare, He therefore objects to its being 
laid before Him? On the contrary the precept is, 



TJUXG PEOPLE S WEEK. 



357 



' Ye people pour out your heart before him (Ps. 
lxii. 8.) 'Be careful for nothing; but, in every- 
thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving 
let your requests be made known unto God ' (Phil, 
iv. 6.) God looks with favour and clemency on 
thousands of petitions which He cannot grant. He 
' mercifully receives a prayer, even when He does 
not assent to it.' E. Mi G. 

Having in the Epistle selected for the Epiphany 
declared the mercy of God in the calling in of the 
Gentiles to the Church, and that they were 'fellow 
heirs of the same body and partakers of the same 
promises,' the Apostle in the Epistle for this Sun- 
day, beseeches them as well as the Jews by the re- 
membrance of these common mercies to manifest 
forth the truth of that call by holiness of life. Nor 
is the connexion between the Epistle and Gospel for 
this day less evident than the relation of the two 
Epistles one to the other. The Gospel speaks of 
the going up of Christ to the Temple to present 
Himself before His Father, and by so doing to de= 
clare His readiness to do His will ; and here we 
have the exhortation of the Apostle, as it were from 
the example of Christ the Head of the Church, 
that every member of the Church would show forth 
the same spirit of self-sacrifice by presenting him- 
self a living sacrifice as Christ did. 



358 



FIE ST SUNDAY AFTER TEE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



The sacrifice required by God is to be a living 
one ; not merely such a sacrifice as martyrs made 
when they witnessed to their belief in the truth of 
Christianity by their death, but a living sacrifice. 

( 1) It is to be free from dead works, dead to sins, 
and so living unto righteousness ; for he who gives 
way to sin is dead while he lives. 

(2) It is to be a body instinct with love for the 
brethren, with charity towards all men, showing 
forth the true life of a member of the one Body. 

(3) It is to be a body incorporated with Christ 
the living One, living in Him and proclaiming the 
fact of such incorporation by all its actions, so that 
the life of Jesus may be manifested to all. 

W. D. 

During the past festival we have been rejoicing 
in the light which Christ brought to lighten every 
man that cometh into the world. Now we have to 
learn how to walk in that light, so that it may not 
have shone in vain for us ; for as well might we ex- 
pect the light of the sun to force us into a safe path 
without our own exertions, as that the Sun of 
Righteousness should guide us into the way of peace 
without diligence and carefulness on our part. This 
is what the Church endeavors to impress upon us in 
the Sunday Services after the Epiphany. 

C. T. 



YOUNG PEOPLE'S WEEK. 



359 



WASHINGTON'S REGARD FOR HIS MOTHER. 

General George Washington, when quite young, 
was about to go to sea as a midshipman; every thing 
was arranged, the vessel lay opposite his father's 
house, the little boat had come on shore to take him 
off, and his whole heart was bent on going. After 
his trunk had been carried down to the boat, he 
went to bid his mother farewell, and saw the tears 
bursting from her eyes. However, he said nothing 
to her; but he saw that his mother would be distressed 
if he went, and perhaps never be happy again. He just 
turned round to the servant and said, * Go and tell 
them to fetch my trunk back. I will not go away 
to break my mother's heart/ His mother was 
struck with his decision, and she said to him,— 
i George, God has promised to bless the children 
that honor their parents, and I believe he will bless 
you.' R. E. H. 

WHY A YOUNG PERSON WAS ADVISED TO JOIN 
THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 

Men and women may attach themselves to this or 
that Church because the company they find in it is 
congenial, and unless they disregard some principle 
or some conviction of duty in doing so, no one can 
reproach them for it. It does strengthen our faith 
and warm our hearts to join our voices with those of 
dear friends and respected acquaintances in worship- 



360 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



ing the Great God. And it is a dear, dear privilege 
to have pure and familiar forms of prayer and praise 
in which we may pour out our hearts to God in 
company. 

If the Episcopal Church has a name for respecta- 
bility, it is because its forms for prayer and praise, 
so pure and pious, and its abundant use of the sim- 
ple Word of God, make it so pleasant to good people, 
and to all who don't close their eyes and ears and 
understandings against them, and because there is 
no such teacher and purifier and refiner as the 
Prayer Book, God's word being its power. 

1. You are young and know very little of the 
Bible or Christanity. Go where you are most likely 
to be taught, and likely to be taught mostly the pure 
Word of God. 

2. Our morning and evening services will give 
you, each Sunday, parts of from five to ten Chapters 
from the New and Old Testaments, with as little 
weariness and as much variety as possible. In the 
devout reading of the Psalms you will bear your 
part, reading every other verse with the minister. 
No better plan could be followed to make your 
heart, and mind, and lips familiar with the devout 
words and aspirations of the man after God's Own 
Heart. This is exercising yourself in the law of the 
Lord. Your worship will be true and loving. The 
Psalmist's wisdom and love will be fitted in your life. 



YOUNG PEOPLES WEEK. 



361 



3. Our Catechism is clear, simple, easy to commit 
to memory. It gives you, in a small space, all you 
ought to avoid, believe and do — all the seed and 
elements of theology. 

4. The Collects, ' forms of sound words,' are the 
devout longings of the wisest and most learned, best 
and purest, and devoutest of God's saints who 
have gone before us. In using them our souls are in 
absolute sympathy with the spirits of just men made 
perfect; we lift up our hearts to the Lord, and we 
learn the highest and largest knowledge of God and 
of our duty, while we are calling on them. ' Through 
these, doctrine drops as the rain and distils as the 
dew.' 

5. All the service, you will see, designed first to 
help you worship God devoutly, reverently, lovingly, 
intelligently, humbly and decently. And all through 
it, as flowers by the way side, you will see scattered 
aspirations and beautiful words of divine wisdom 
and lowly but pure love. You will recognize in it 
the tender care of the mother to lead the Child of 
God in the ways of pleasantness and peace, to 
teach it true worship and thoroughly to imbue it 
with the Word of God. Any one who mistakes its 
purpose and falls into formalism, or prides himself on 
account of its high privileges and aristocratic 
patronage, is miserably to be pitied. 

6. The litany seems intended to search and 



S62 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



prove men's hearts, to purge them with hysop, to 
try and know them. It brings to light all the fears, 
hopes, dangers, necessities, experiences and trials to 
which they are subject or liable, and lays them 
before God, that He may defend, grant, comfort, 
provide, heal and save. In it we make a clean 
breast before our loving Father, and open our bosom 
to the blessed Comforter. 

7. Our liturgy is the high privilege of the church 
in its maturity. Our Prayer-Book has gathered piety 
from every source. It is the property or work of no 
party or sect, but the common property of the Chris- 
tian Church, Every denomination of Christians has 
contributed to its treasury. 

8. As our Common Prayer Book is the blest Word 
of God, and the piety of His saints, true and tried, 
its words never grow old. They have the enduring 
beauty of the stars, and the freshness of fruits and 
flowers that recur in their seasons. And in the 
Christian family they are like the dear old home 
crowded and clustered with associations of parents, 
brothers, sisters and dearly loved friends. 

9. Forms of prayer are necessary as forms of 
praise. Method is necessary in every well con- 
ducted business. We would prepare our words and 
conduct to come before an earthly dignity. And 
shall we not when we come to worship God, put on 
not only our best garments, but the purest words and 



YOUNG PEOPLE'S WEEK. 



363 



the fittest behaviour, clothing ourselves with ' the 
righteousness of the Saints ' appearing in Jesus' 
house. S, B. 

THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH AS AN EDUCATOR. 

The Episcopal Church is excellent in her provi- 
sions for Christian education and pious drill. 

Churches that avowedly receive very young infants 
as members must necessarily provide education for 
these accepted children. Accordingly the Episcopal 
Church is characteristically a church for the training 
of children, 

In the Prayer-Book and Church Almanac you 
find the Christian year divided into periods separated 
by high days — -monuments and memorials of Chris- 
tian story. And he is an unusually well-informed 
Christian who can read over this catalogue of days, 
and in a few words tell the story that each day cele- 
brates, But a birth-right Churchman, who has been 
quietly trained in a church home for fifteen years, 
will need very little teaching more. 

In connection with this calendar is a system of 
lessons, in following which the reader is led through 
the . . . Bible each year, and through its more 
profitable parts, monthly or oftener. 

He, who for years has been a Churchman, and yet 
remains ill-grounded in Scripture, shows an unwor- 
thy son of a very faithful mother. 



364 



FJKST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



By the Lessons, Gospels, Epistles, Psalms, and 
Collects, appointed for special fast or feast days, 
the events commemorated each day are wrought 
into the memory of every worshipper. And by sea- 
sons, longer or shorter, of special religious effort and 
observance, this Church satisfies the same want 
which other Churches satisfy by weeks of prayer, 
protracted meetings and long revivals. 

A good school is a dull place to any visitor who 
rushes in to find sensation and excitement. 

He will call it dry, poky, stupid. In like 
manner, many religious sensation seekers will 
promptly vote the Church calendar and all its 
smooth machinery of pious drill, a very dull substi- 
tute for a regular, rousing revival. But, in the long 
run, the church that steadily trains and teaches will 
out-live the church that only arouses and startles. 
' If ye continue in my word, then are ye My disciples 
indeed.' S. B. 

The Children at Church. — The attendance of 
children at the public worship of the Church is one 
of the best means for training them in the knowledge 
and love of things divine. They should therefore be 
taken to Church quite early in life. While still very 
young they should be taught and should be encour- 
aged to take some part in the worship, to join in the 
Lord's Prayer and the Creed, and to use some of the 



YOUNG PEOPLE'S WEEK. 



365 



responses and Aniens. This will be pleasant to them, 
for they like to be associated with older people and 
do what they see them doing. To imitate those who 
are older is one of the strong impulses of a child's 
nature, given to it most graciously, to make the fit- 
ting for after-life easy and delightful.— Bishop 
Bissell. C. A. 

THE RAILWAY TRACK AND THE LOCOMOTIVE. 
Your reasonable service. — Rom. xii i. 
Go with me to the next station-house, and look off 
upon the line of railroad. It is as straight as an arrow, 
. . . out as far as we can see, till, converging almost 
to a single thread they pierce the sky. What were 
those rails laid in that way for ? . . . Try your cart 
or your coach there. The axletrees are too nar- 
row, and you go bumping along upon the sleepers. 
Try a wheelbarrow. You can not keep on the rail. 
Now go with me to the locomotive shop. What is 
this ? We are told it is a locomotive. What is a 
locomotive ? Why, it is a carriage moved by steam. 
But it is very heavy. The wheels would sink into a 
common road to the axle. That locomotive can 
never run on a common. road, and the man is a fool 
who built it. . . . Stop a moment. Why wouldn't 
those wheels just fit those rails. . . . Those rails were 
intended for the locomotive, and the locomotive for' 
the rails. . . . The locomotive is not even safe any- 



366 



FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



where else. If it should get off, after it is once on, 
it would run into rocks and stumps, and bury itself 
in sands or swamps beyond recovery. 

Young man you are a locomotive. You are a 
thing that goes by a power planted inside of you. You 
are made to go. In fact considered as a machine 
you are very far superior to a locomotive. The 
maker of the locomotive is man ; your Maker in Man's 
Maker. You are as different from a horse, or an ox, 
or a camel, as a locomotive is different from a wheel- 
barrow, a cart, or a coach. Now do you suppose 
that the Being who made you, did not make a spec- 
ial road for you to run on ? My ideal of religion is 
that it is a railroad for a human locomotive, and that 
just so sure as it undertakes to run upon a road, 
adapted only to animal power, it will bury its wheels 
in the sand, dash itself among rocks, and come to in- 
evitable wreck. . . . Here is a dram-shop road (to 
drunkenness). . . . how long will it be before you 
come to a stump and smash up. Here is the road of 
sensual pleasure. You are just as sure to bury your 
wheels in the dirt as you try it. . . . Here is the 
winding uncertain path of frivolity. There are mor- 
asses on each side of it, and, with the headway that 
you are under, you will be sure, sooner or later, to 
pitch into one of them. Here is the road of (untrue) 
philosophy, but it runs through a country from which 
the light of heaven is shut out. . . . Here is the road 



YOUNG PEOPLE'S WEEK. 



367 



of skepticism. That is covered with fog, and a fence 
runs across it within ten rods. Don't you see that 
your machine was never intended to run on those 
roads ? Don't you know that it never was, and don't 
you know that the only track under heaven upon 
which it can run safely is the religious track. Don't 
you know that just as long as you keep your wheels, 
on that track, wreck is impossible ? Don't you know 
that it is the only track on which wreck is not certain ? 
I know, if you don't ; and I tell you that on that track 
which God has laid down expressly for your soul to 
run upon, your soul will find free play for all its 
wheels, and happy progress. It is straight and nar- 
row, but it is safe and solid, and furnishes the only 
direct route to the heavenly city. Now if God made 
your soul, and made religion for it, you are a fool if 
you refuse to place yourself on the track. (J. G, 
Holland, M.D.) S. C. E, H. 

Readings. Deut. xvi. 1-18. I King iii. 5 and fob 
vs. Isa. xliv. xlv. xlvi. li. Hi. liii. liv. bx. 1-10. S. 
Mat. ii. 13 and fob vs. iii. 13-17. iv. S. Mark i. 14- 
35. S. Luke ii. 41 and fob vs. iv. 14-22. vii, 19-36. 
xiv. 16-24. S. John i. 18-43. ^ i-n. 23 to iii. 13. 
Acts xiv. 8-18. xviii. 1-11, Rom. i. 1-17. x. 1-13. 
xii. 1-6. xiii. 1-7. xvi. 1-5, 17-25. I Cor. i. 10-17. 
iii. Ephes. ii. 1-10. iv. 7-24. Cob iii. 12-17. I 
Tim. i. 1-11. Tit. ii. n and fob vs. iii. 



368 



FIBST SUNDAY AFT EE THE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Homily on Obedience and Articles, vii. ix. x. xi. 
xii. xiii. xiv. xv. xvi. xviii. xx. xxiii. xxv. xxvi. xxviii. 
xxxvii. 

Of the instruction of children from in fancy. 

Ex. xiii. 8. Deut. xi. 19. I Sam. iii. 13. Job. 
i. 5. Prov. xxii. 15. Jer. ix. 20. Ezek. xviii. 10. 
Ecclus. vii. 23. xvi. 1. xxx. 1. xli. 9. Eph. vi. 4. 

Of the duty of children to their parents. 

Gen. ix. 23. xxvii, 3. Ex. xx. 12. Deut, v. 15. 
xxvii. 26. II Sam. xviii. 9. Prov. x. 1. xxx. 11, 17. 
Tob v. 1. xiv. 13. Ecclus. iii. 2. S. Matt; xix. 19. S. 
Mark x. 19. S. Luke xvii. 20. Eph. vi. 1. Col. 
iii. 20. S. A. N. 

SEEK TO DO SOMETHING. 

A young sdrl [ n one 0 f those moments when the 
heart seems to overflow with devotion wrote thus in 
her journal \— If I dared, I would ask God, why I 
am placed in the world : what have I to do ? I 
know not : my days are idly spent, and I do not 
even regret them. ... It I might but do some good 
to myself, or another, if only for the short space of a 
minute in each day ! ' A few days later, when in 
a calmer mood she re-read these lines, she added: 
' Why, nothing is easier ! I have but to give a cup 
of cold water to one of Christ's little ones.' 

Yes. even so small a gift as that, but given in 
God's Name, may be of service, and give you the 
right to hope for a reward in heaven. 



YOUNG PEOPLE'S WEEK. 



369 



Even less than that : a word of advice ; something 
lent to another; a little vexation patiently borne ; a 
prayer for a friend, offered to God ; the fault or 
thoughtlessness of another repaired without his 
knowledge : God will recompense it all a thousand 



THE SAFEGUARDS OF THE YOUNG 
' Up for thy life, young soul, 

Foes gather round thee fast ; 
Up for the swift hours roll 
Thy favoured season past, 
Now thou art strong, gird for the fight ; 
Decay ere long shall waste thy might. 

Mark how, from realms above, 
The Spirit o'er thee bends ; 
Gift of the Saviour's love, 
Him God the Father sends: 
He leads secure ; His sword and shield 
Make victory sure — make Satan yield. 

God and His saints invite; 

Hell warns with dreadful voice ; 
Life, death, all things unite 
To press thy timely choice. 
List to that call. On Jesus' side 
Trust now thine all; in Him abide.' 



fold. 



E. L. E. B. 



{Quotation.) 



Y. B, 



370 FIE ST SUNDAY AETEE THE EPIPHANY, ETC. 

Psalms xiii. xlvi. xlvii. xlviii. lxxii. Ixxxi. xciii. 
xcv. c. cxxii. 5th and 8th Selections. 

Anthems. Any part of the 119th Psalm, par- 
ticularly the second part. 

Hymns 34. 39. 44, 45, 126, 162, 190, 205, 215. 221, 
222, 223, 224, 225, 229, 23c, 232, 241, 245, 277, 285, 

1 1 T 1 T 1 1 "> 1 A "> i A "» ~ : I 1 

JOM OJO' jo 0, oo°? 4 A 4< 4-4i 4j-t> 4ooi -+4°i 0 1 ~ ■ 

Collects, ist and 2d in Ad. Inn. Epiph. 6th 
af. Epiph. 3d and 5th at Eas. ist, 2d, 4th, 7th, 
9th, nth, 17th, 19th af. Trinity. Col. af. the Com- 
mandments. 3d af. C. 0. 

1 Put on the whole armour of God' — Ephes. vi. 11. 

1 Jesus, my strength, my hope, 

On Thee I cast my care. 
With humble confidence look up, 

And know Thou hear'st my prayer : 

Give me on Thee to wait, 

Till I can all things do — 
On Thee, Almighty to create, 

Almighty to renew. 

Give me a sober mind, 
A self-renouncing will, 
That tramples down and casts behind 
The baits of pleasing ill : 
A soul inured to pain, 



xor^G people's week. 



To hardships, griefs and loss, 
Ready to take up and sustain 
The consecrated cross. 

# 

Give me a godly fear, 
A quick discerning eye, 

That looks to Thee when sin is near, 
And sees the tempter fly ; 
A spirit still prepared, 
And armed with zealous care, 

For ever standing on its guard, 
And watching unto prayer. 

Give me a true regard, 

A single, steady aim, 
Unmoved by threatening or reward, 

To Thee and Thy great Name ; 

Give me a heart to pray, 

To pray and never cease, 
Never to murmur at Thy stay. 

Or wish my sufferings less. 

I rest -upon Thy word, 

The promise is for me : 
My succour and salvation, Lord, 

Shall surely come from Thee ; 

But let me still abide, 

Xor from my hope remove, 
Till Thou my patient spirit guide 

Into Thy perfect love.' 



372 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. ? 
OR MARRIAGEABLE AND MARRIED 
PEOPLE'S WEEK. 

OF MARRIAGE. 

Seek a good wife of thy God for she is the best 
gift of His providence; 

Yet ask not in bold confidence that which He 
hath not promised. 

Thou knowest not His good will:— be thy prayer 
then submissive thereunto; 

And leave thy petition to His mercy, assured that 
He will deal well with thee. 

If thou art to have a wife of thy youth, she is now 
living on the earth; 

Therefore think of her, and pray for her weal; 
yea, though thou hast not seen her. 

They that love early become like-minded, and the 
tempter toucheth them not; 

They grow up leaning on each other, as the olive 
and the vine. 

Youth longeth for a kindred spirit, and yearneth 
for a heart that can commune with his own; 

373 



374 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



He meditateth night and day, doting on the 
image of his fancy. 

Take heed that what charmeth thee is real, not 
springeth of thine own imagination; 

And suffer not trifles to win thy love; for a wife 
is thine unto death. 

The harp and the voice may thrill thee, — sound 
may enchant thine ear, 

But consider thou, — the hand will wither, and the 
sweet notes turn to discord: 

The eye so brilliant at even, may be red with sor- 
row in the morning; 

And the sylph-like form of elegance must writhe 
in the crampings of pain. 

O happy lot, and hallowed, even as the joy of 
angels, 

Where the golden chain of godliness is entwined 
with the roses of love: 

But beware, thou seem not to be holy, to win 
favour in the eyes of a creature, 

For the guilt of the hypocrite is deadly, and 
winneth thee wrath elsewhere, 

The idol of the heart is as thou, a probationary 
sojourner on earth; 

Therefore be chary of her soul, for that is the 
jewel in her casket. 

Let her be a child of God, that she bring with 
thee a blessing to thy house, — 



MABBIAGEABLE AND MAJRBXED PEOPLE 's WEEK. 



375 



A blessing above riches, and leading contentment 
in its train: 

Let her be an heir of heaven: so shall she help 
thee on thy way; 

For those who are one in faith, fight double- 
handed against evil. 

Take heed lest she love thee before God; that she 
be not an idolator: 

Yet see that she love thee well: for her heart is 
the heart of woman; 

And the triple nature of humanity must be bound 
by a triple chain. 

For soul and mind and body— godliness, esteem, 
affection. 

How beautiful is modesty! it winneth upon all 
beholders: 

But a word or a glance may destroy the pure love 
that should have been for thee. 

Affect not to despise beauty; no one is freed from 
its dominion; 

But regard it not a pearl of price: — it is fleeting 
as the bow in the clouds. 

If the character within be gentle, it often hath 
its index in the countenance : 

The soft smile of a loving face is better than 
splendor that fadeth quickly. 

When thou choosest a wife, think not only of thy- 
self, 



376 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



But of those God may give thee of her, that they 
reproach thee not for their being: 

See that he hath given her health, lest thou lose 
her early and weep; 

See that she springeth of a wholesome stock, that 
thy little ones perish not before thee : 

For many a fair skin hath covered a mining dis- 
ease, 

And many a laughing cheek been bright with the 
glare of madness. 

Mark the converse of one thou lovest, that it be 
simple and sincere; 

For an artful or false woman shall set thy pillow 
with thorns. 

Observe her deportment with others, when she 
thinketh not that thou art nigh. 

For with thee will the blushes of love conceal the 
true color of her mind. 

Hath she learning? it is good, so that modesty 
go with it: 

Hath she wisdom? it is precious, but beware that 
thou exceed; 

For woman must be subject, and the true mastery 
is of the mind. 

Be joined to thine equal in rank, or the foot of 
pride will kick at thee: 

And look not only for riches, lest thou be mated 
with misery: 



MARRIAGEABLE A2s~D MARRIED PEOPLE'S WEEK. 377 



Marry not without means; for so shouldst thou 
tempt Providence; 

But wait not for more than enough; for marriage 
is the Duty of most men; 

Grievous indeed must be the burden that shall 
outweigh innocence and health, 

And a well-assorted marriage hath not many cares. 

In the day of thy joy consider the poor; thou 
shalt reap a rich harvest of blessing; 

For these be the pensioners of One who filleth 
thy cup with pleasures, 

In the day of thy joy be thankful; He hath well 
deserved thy praise ; 

Mean and selfish is the heart that seeketh Him 
only in sorrow. 

For her sake, who leaneth on thine arm, court not 
the notice of the world, 

And remember that sober privacy is comelier than 
public display. 

If thou marriest, thou art allied unto strangers ; 
see they be not such as shame thee ; 

If thou marriest, thou leavest thine own ; see that 
it be not done in anger. 

Bride and bridegroom, pilgrims of life, hence- 
forward to travel together, 

In this the beginning of your journey, neglect not 
the favour of Heaven: 

Let the day of hopes fulfilled be blest by many 
prayers, 



378 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



And at eventide kneel ye together, that your joy 
be not unhallowed: 

Angels that are round you shall be glad, those 
loving ministers of mercy, 

And the richest blessings of your God shall be 
poured on his favored children. 

Marriage is a figure and an earnest of holier 
things unseen, 

And reverence well becometh the symbol of dig- 
nity and glory. 

Keep thy heart pure, lest thou do dishonour to thy 
state ; 

Selfishness is base and hateful ; but love con- 
sidered! not itself. 

The wicked turneth good into evil, for his mind 
is warped within him ; 

But the heart of the righteous is chaste ; his con- 
science casteth off sin. 

If thou wilt be loved, render implicit confidence ; 

If thou wouldst not suspect, receive full confi- 
dence in turn ; 

For where trust is not reciprocal, the love that 
trusted withereth. 

Hide not your grief nor your gladness; be open 
one with the other ; 

Let bitterness be strange unto your tongues, but 
sympathy a dweller in your hearts ; 

Imparting halveth the evils, while it doubleth the 
pleasures of life, 



MARRIAGEABLE AND MARRIED PEOPLE'S WEEK. 379 



But sorrows breed and thicken in the gloomy 
bosom of Reserve. 

Young wife, be not froward, nor forget that 
modesty becometh thee : 

If it be discarded now, who will not hold it 
feigned before ? 

But be not as a timid girl, — there is honour due to 
thine estate : 

A matron's modesty is dignified ; she blusheth 
not, neither is she bold. 

Be kind to the friends of thine husband, for the 
love they have for him : 

And gently bear with his infirmities ; hast thou no 
need of his forbearance ? 

Be not always in each other's company ; it is 
often good to be alone ; 

And if there be too much sameness, ye cannot 
but grow weary of each other ; 

Ye have each a soul to be nourished, and a mind 
to be taught in wisdom, 

Therefore, as accountable for time, help one 
another to improve it. 

If ye feel love to decline, track out quickly the 
secret cause ; 

Let it not rankle for a day, but confess and be- 
wail it together : 

Speedily seek to be reconciled, for love is the life 
of marriage; 



380 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



And be ye co-partners in triumph, conquering the 
peevishness of self. 

Let no one have thy confidence, O wife, saving 
thine husband ; 

Have not a friend more intimate, O husband, than 
thy wife. 

In the joy of a well-ordered home, be warned 
that this is not your rest ; 

For the substance to come may be forgotten, in 
the present beauty of the shadow. 

If ye are blessed with children ye have a fearful 
pleasure, 

A deeper care and a higher joy, and the range of 
your existence is widened: 

If God in wisdom refuse them, thank him for an 
unknown mercy: 

For how can ye tell if they might be a blessing 
or a curse ? 

Yet ye may pray, like Hannah, simply dependent 
on his will : 

Resignation sweeteneth the cup, but impatience 
dasheth it with vinegar. 

Now this is the sum of the matter: — -if ye will be 
happy in marriage 

Confide, love, and be patient; be faithful, firm, 
and holy, M. F. T. 

HOME COLLECT. 

O Eternal God, Creator and Preserver of all man- 
kind and Giver of all spiritual grace, send Thy 



MARRIAGE 1BLE AND MARRIED PEOPLE'S WEEK. 381 



blessing upon all those who are betrothed and mar- 
ried within the covenant of grace, that as Isaac 
and Rebecca lived faithfully together, so they may 
surely perform and keep the vow and covenant be- 
twixt them made, and be in perfect love and peace 
together, and live according to Thy laws; through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. 

{Adapted) C. F. H. 
COMMENTS. 

It is an attractive suggestion and beautiful thought 
that the marriage at Cana was the marriage of the 
Apostle of love, S. John the Evangelist. With this 
the Collect, Epistle and Gospel before us all 
unite in harmonious and elaborate music. The 
Collect in a general way introduces the subject in 
praying for the Peace which exists in the matrimonial 
Life of God and His People. For this we are here 
taught to supplicate the universal Governor, through 
Jesus Christ, that we may have it all the days of 
our life. The Epistle instructing us in Fulfilling 
Love, calls upon us for the fruit in our lives of the 
marriage between God and His people, whereby we 
shall be known to belong to the family of God, and 
so use " whatsoever gifts we have, as Christ did, to 
the good and benefit of others " in the marriage of 
His incarnate life. " Having gifts differing ac- 
cording to the grace that is given to us, whether 



382 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC, 



prophecy, let us prophesy according to the propor- 
tion of faith; or ministry, let us wait on our minis- 
" tering; or he that teacheth, on teaching ; or he that 
exhorteth, on exhortation ; he that giveth, let him 
do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence ; 
he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love 
be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is 
evil ; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affec- 
tioned one to another with brotherly love ; in honor 
preferring one another; not slothful in business; 
fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope; 
patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; 
distributing to- the necessity of saints; given to hos- 
pitality. Bless them which persecute you; bless, 
and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, 
and weep with them that weep. Be of the same 
mind one towards another. Mind not high things, 
but condescend to men of low estate." 

The Gospel calls us to the manifestation of Jesus 
in Family Life, not only as " the Author and Finisher 
of our Faith" but also as our one great Example 
in serving God, and in giving and drawing out 
the calls of social and personal life at home and 
abroad in the holy estate of matrimony sanctified by 
the presence, provisions, and acceptance of Jesus and 
His gifts. So shall we celebrate the truest marriage 
in our Cana or staff or flag city of this Galilee, our 
world in this Christian or third day of the world's dis- 



MARRIAGEABLE AND MARRIED PEOPLE'S WEEK. 383 



dispensation, wherein we find its Resurrection. So 
shall the mother of Jesus — the carrying out of the 
will of God, (S. Matt. xii. 50) adorn our homes. So 
shall Jesus and His disciples be attracted to our 
entertainments. So shall love meet our wants. So 
shall we learn to discriminate between that which is 
proper and that which is not. So shall we patiently 
await the developments of Providence — so shall 
we preserve an unshaken and living faith in Jesus, 
and use our authority and influence to the same 
end. So shall we learn to turn to the best account 
the means that are at hand. So shall we receive the 
blessings of obedience. So shall we raise that which 
is in our power, and administer to the benefit of 
others. So shall we make that which is last first, 
and that which is first last* C. F. H. 

The interweaving, through this Gospel story, of the 
thread of teaching in the Epistle, is delicate and yet 
distinct, for Christ is here the pattern of 4 giving 
with simplicity,' ' showing mercy with cheerfulness/ 
1 distributing to the necessity of saints/ 4 being given 
to hospitality/ ' rejoicing with them that rejoice/ 
and condescending to men of low estate/ nor should 
the lesson be lost on us who have received ' the gift 
of the ministry/ that we must 'wait on our minister- 
ing/ knowing, as the servants did, ' which drew the 
water ' in Cana of Galilee, whence it is that all the 



384 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC, 



grace and blessing come ; 1 even from the Almighty 
and everlasting God, Who governs all things in 
heaven and earth ? ' W. C. D. 

God the chaste, social, happy life ordain'd, 

In innocence, when man was yet unstain'd; 

Even Paradise was but a lonely place 

Till God sent Eve to Adam's dear embrace: 

Heaven by virginity would empty stand, 

'Tis marriage peoples all the blissful land; 

Prescribed as gentle med'cine to the just, 

To allay the calentures of baneful lust; 

God His first blessing on that state bestow'd; 

That blessing down to all successions flow'd; 

In pairs on the dread ark the cherubs wait; 

In pairs the seraphs tend God's Throne of State; 

We from their Temple-union humbly guess, 

That they like friendships now in Heaven possess; 

Both charity and friendship are at height 

In married saints, who in chaste love unite. 

B K. 

One of the first blessings which the light of Christ 
brings to those who walk in it, is that of peace. The 
day-spring from on high came to ' guide our feet 
into the way of peace,' as well as to i enlighten those 
that are in darkness.' (S. Luke ii. 79.) This is 
why the second Sunday after the Epiphany speaks to 



MAJBEIAGEABLE AND MABKIED PEOPLE' S WEEK. 385 



us of peace, praying for it, and guiding us in its 
paths. To obtain the peace of God, for which the 
Collect prays, we must believe that it is ' He which 
governs all things both in heaven and in earth ;' for 
nothing but this will support us in the changes and 
chances of this mortal life. From such trials the 
children of light are not more free than others. All 
the days of their life, even from their very childhood, 
God lays his cross upon them; but by the light of 
His grace, shining in their hearts, He shows them 
how all these things work together for good to those 
who love God; and so their minds are kept in perfect 
peace, because they trust in Him. i They are not 
afraid of any evil tidings, because their heart stand- 
eth fast, believing in the Lord.' But to be thus at 
peace with God, and with ourselves, we must live at 
peace with our brethren This it is which the 
Epistle for this day enforces upon us. Continuing 
the chapter of last Sunday, it teaches us to consider 
ourselves as members of one great body, of which 
Christ is the Head. From this figure, we see how 
the peace and well-being of the whole Church is 
influenced by the conduct of each of its members 
separately, just as the health and rest of our whole 
body depend on the soundness of each separate part. 
We learn that every member of Christ's Body has 
received gifts, ' differing according to the grace that 
is in him,' by the faithful or unfaithful use of which 



386 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



he may be influencing, more then he is aware, the 
peace and well-being of his fellow members. How 
diligently, then, should we observe the rules which 
the apostle here gives to every member of the 
Church of Christ, striving, each in our several call- 
ings, to improve the gifts which may have fallen to 
our share. 

To be content with that calling, whatever it may 
be, is the first duty he enjoins. (Epis.) When 
one member goes out of his place, wishing or 
trying to do the work of another, he acts against the 
Providence of God, and disturbs the peace of the 
whole body. If, then, we would be useful members 
of Christ's Church, we must be content to teach or 
to learn, to rule or to obey, to work or to.stand still, 
just as the will of God disposes of us ; remember- 
ing, for our encouragement, that as the weaker and 
smaller portions of the body are not the less valuable 
to us, so no member of Christ is rendered less 
precious in His sight, on account of the lowliness or 
insignificance of his station. 

Diligence (Epis.) in doing the work appointed 
us is another duty of Christ's members ; for we 
know that the deadness or inactivity of a single 
limb would be apt to bring disease and confusion 
into the whole body. ' Fervour in spirit,' doing 
all things and suffering all things for the glory of 
God, are also laid down as marks of Christ's true 



MAKRIAGEABLE AND MAEBIED PEOPLE S WEEK. 



387 



members. Again, the members of Christ, being so 
closely linked together, must be ' kindly affectioned 
one to another/ (v. 10.) sympathizing in each other's 
cares and joys, as if they were their own, 'When 
one member suffers, all the members suffer with it ; 
and when one member is honoured, all the members 
rejoice, with it.' (I Cor. xii. 26). C. T. 

If every member were thus living together in 
unity of spirit and in the bond of peace, ■ holding 
the Head from Which all the body by joints and 
bands hath nourishment ministered, how would the 
w T hole body daily increase with the increase of 
God ! ' (Col. ii. 19). 

Our Lord's manifestation at the marriage in 
Cana in Galilee is again selected for our meditation 
this day; not only as being appropriate to the sea- 
son but also as having an especial reference to the 
services of this day. The holy estate of matrimony 
is another emblem or figure of the mystical union 
between Christ and His Church. It represents the 
peace and harmony which His faithful members 
enjoy here, and the still higher degree of concord 
and happiness which is in store for them in heaven ; 
and so does this miracle convey to us a high and 
holy lesson. It teaches us to live as in His pres- 
ence, making Him our guest on every occasion of 
our lives, and 'doing whatsoever He saith unto us/ 



388 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



without doubt or questioning. This, if we do, 
He who changed the water into wine, will change 
the mixed and uncertain happiness we enjoy even 
now in His Church militant for the far higher bliss 
and glory of His Church triumphant. 

The glorious light of heaven, Whose appearance 
we at this time commemorate, arose with healing in 
His rays, to give light in darkness, and peace in war, 
stilling the tumult of sin and wickedness, which 
supported the empire of the devil, the prince of 
darkness, in the world. 

The Collect for Sunday last, accordingly, hav- 
ing prayed for the light of true and saving knowl- 
edge, that for this day begs the guidance of it as a 
lantern to our paths ; that, amidst the snares and 
dangers that surround us, we may see our way, and 
by the guard of Divine grace, be kept in peace and 
safety. The Epistle, which is the continuation of 
that for Sunday last, clearly and strongly teaches us 
to cultivate this sweet peace, pointing out, by the 
practice of the several precepts which it lays down, 
the way of peace with God and man. Diligence to 
improve the gifts which God, the fountain of them 
all, has distributed severally to every man, as best 
and fittest for him, will by God's blessing, make 
him happy, and prove an advantage to the whole 
body, each member of it, as a brother enjoying his 
happiness, and grieving with him in his sorrow ; the 



MARRIAGEABLE AND MARRIED PEOPLE'S WEEK. 389 

Spirit of God giving life to all and every one ; the 
spirit of meekness amidst injuries received from 
others, the spirit of prayer, and patience, and lowli- 
ness of heart. Such a spirit guiding and governing 
the Church and all its members, would preserve en- 
tire peace in it, and spread it so far as to turn earth 
into paradise. Meantime the most lively emblem or 
type upon earth of heavenly peace and joy, is the 
holy state of matrimony, as it was i instituted (or 
appointed) by God in the time of man's innocency/ 
and still keeps its dignity, provided Christ makes 
the marriage holy by His gracious blessing. He 
will turn its water into wine, raising the weak and 
mixed delights of earth to be an emblem or foretaste 
of the unmixed and endless joys of heaven. It shall 
most certainly be so, if His blessed mother's words 
in the Gospel be observed, ' Whatsoever He saith 
unto you do it.' However unlikely the means 
which he orders may seem to obtain the end, if we 
readily and faithfully obey, we shall find the blessing 
of His Almighty and never failing word. By the 
strengthening of His Holy Spirit, He gives to the 
faithful and devout soul that mystic wine of the 
spiritual marriage feast, which truly makes glad the 
heart rejoicing in the love of Christ. 

C. S, 



This miracle (recorded in the Gospel) ought to 



300 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



lead us to imitate the conduct of the bride and 
bridegroom in Cana. 

1. Observe their conduct before the feast. They 
invite Jesus thither. And the third day, there was a 
marriage in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus 
was there; and both Jesus mas called and His disciples 
to the marriage. Jesus, accompanied by the five dis- 
ciples whom he had chosen at Bethany, was on his 
way northwards, and journeying up the course of 
the Jordan, arrived at the third day at Cana in Gal- 
ilee, beyond the lake of Gennesaret. It was there 
that a resident in the city, who was about to cele- 
brate his marriage, invited Him to it. Jesus prom- 
ises to be present, and goes there with his disciples. 
Let us imitate the pious conduct of this newly mar- 
ried couple, and let us invite Jesus Christ to be 
present with us in whatever we are engaged about. 
Before we undertake anything, and above all before 
we choose our vocation in life, -let us pray Jesus to 
enlighten us, and to guide us in our choice. 

2. Consider their conduct during the feast. Jesus 
was present there, as much to sanction the holy es- 
tate of marriage, which would one day be made the 
subject of attack by heretics, as to teach Christians 
to maintain in all festivities the rules of modesty and 
temperance. These newly married persons and 
their guests were in the presence of Jesus, and con- 
sequently all immodest dress must be banished 



MARRIAGEABLE AND MAEBEED PEOPLE'S WEEK, 



391 



thence, and purity might not be wounded by un- 
seemly discourses, nor sobriety, by excess, nor char- 
ity, by slanderous word ; the peace which reigned 
there must not be disturbed by quarrels or disputes, 
and thus a modest gaiety and a pure and innocent joy 
would pervade everything. Jesus does not forbid 
us innocent pleasures ; Ke does not refuse to take 
part in them with us, if only they are lawful and 
kept within due bounds. Let us then never take 
part in any, where He is not, and which are not ac- 
cording to His mind, and then they will be far more 
enjoyable to us, since not only will they be innocent 
amusements, but such as are sanctified by His 
presence. 

3. Let us pay attention to what happened to them 
towards the end of the feast. They experienced the 
effects of the Almighty power of Jesus. What hap- 
piness must not the end of the feast have brought 
them, both at the sight of the wonderful miracle 
which then took place, and from the assurance 
which they had of a continual protection extended 
over them. It is not thus with the tumultous pleas- 
ures, with which the world is intoxicated. The be- 
ginnings of them are attractive, bewitching, and full 
of delight ; but by what bitterness and remorse; by 
what despair and shame, are thev not followed ! 
And what will come of them, when they all come to 
an end with life ! How must they have rejoiced that 



392 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTEB EPIPHANY, ETC. 



they had invited Jesus to be present at their mar- 
riage feast, and how happy would our marriages be, 
and what grace should we not find to overcome the 
diffculties which we must necessarily meet with in 
our married lives, if we did but enter upon them in 
company with Jesus, in a pure and Christian spirit, 
and not in a heathen or carnal spirit, for the sake 
of worldly profit or advantage. 

SECOND POINT. 

The miracle at the marriage in Cana ought to 
animate us to put our confidence in Jesus. 

1. Confidence in Jesus, founded on His willing- 
ness to supply even our earthly needs. And when they 
wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto Him^ 
They have no wine. His mother perceives the need of 
wine apparently without its having been mentioned 
to her, and she speaks to Her Son, without waiting 
to be asked. Shall we not also ask in faith for the 
supply of our own needs, and those of others ? She 
takes it for granted that her prayer will be heard. 
She saith unto the servants. Whatsoever He saith unto 

_ you, do it. And shall not the conduct of the Mother 
of Jesus Christ serve us as an example ? Not only 
should we pray in faith, but we should also make 
use of the helps which God has placed within our 
reach. 

2. Confidence in Jesus, founded on His Almighty 



MABEIAGEABLE AND MARBIED PEOPLE'S WEEK, 393 



power and willingness to grant our prayer. How 
many circumstances combine to prove this to us ! 
It was not a matter of giving back an only son to 
his widowed and desolate mother, nor of healing a 
sick man cruelly tormented, nor of alleviating 
the sufferings of an unhappy being in his extreme 
necessity; but still she asks, and she obtains what 
she asks for. She draws near to her Son, she shows 
neither impatience nor distrust; but she simply says 
to Him, They have no wine. What need had she to 
say more ? That petition, so respectfully veiled 
under the form of a narration of an event, sufficed. 
Jesus knew well what His mother desired. He 
answered her, Woman, what have I to do with thee ? 
Mine hour is not yet come. His mother does not 
press the point. But the servants, who did not 
know what was going on, were not long before they 
were enlightened. Jesus was only beginning to 
make His appearance with His disciples. He willed 
to teach them that flesh and blood had no claims, 
when the duties of the Apostolic ministry were con- 
cerned. Moreover he had set apart or foreordained 
the time, at which He willed to make His power 
shine forth before their eyes. This time was not 
yet come, and He willed to make this known. Al- 
though the time, of which Jesus Christ speaks was at 
hand, He says nevertheless to the Blessed Virgin ; 
The time is not yet come ; which shows His reli- 



39i 



SECOND SUNDAY AFT EE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



gious attention to the times of grace, and the purity 
of His zeal for the glory of His Father. { He was 
waiting,' says S. Augustine, 'till all the guests 
should know that there was no more wine, and that the 
need for it should be manifest, in order that the 
power of the Son and the glory ot the Father might 
be acknowledged. The hour was not yet come,' 
says this father, ' when His Mother spoke to Him 
in behalf of the guests ; but when He worked the 
miracle, the time had come.' Moreover let us 
observe the manner, in which He grants His 
mother's request. After his answer, which doubtless 
astonished the attendants, His Mother, far from 
being discouraged or surprised, remains so fully 
convinced that He would answer her petition, that 
she called the servants* and said unto them. What- 
soever he saitli unto roi/ y do it. Hardly had she 
uttered this command, than her request was granted. 
We see then here how God rewards the faith of 
those, whose trust in Him standeth firm, even 
amidst apparent discouragements and trials. Though 
he tarry long, wait for Him. L. A. D. 

How happy was this marriage which our Blessed 
Lord was pleased to honor with His presence, and 
His first miracle ! He was the author and institutor 
of marriage, and was pleased to give it a sanction 
and a blessing by assisting at it. 



MARRIAGEABLE AND MARRIED PEOPLE'S WEEK. 395 



Let me remember that He, our Blessed Saviour, 
came to marry, as it were, by His Incarnation, our 
human nature with His divine Person ; He came to 
marry Himself to His Church, and has raised Chris- 
tian matrimony to a high dignity, as being a sacred 
and mysterious sign of that His perpetual union with 
His Church. 

Let me remember that in the midst of the mar- 
riage feast the wine was wanting; how deceitful are 
the pleasures of the world, how often they fail us 
when we expect most from them. It is Jesus alone 
that can furnish our immortal souls with the true 
wine which maketh glad the heart of man ; He only 
can present us with pure delights ; and He alone 
can turn the tasteless, even the bitter things which 
are set before us, into that which strengthens and 
refreshes the weary soul. M. A. 

Oh Humblest and happiest bridal of earth ! ! 

O Cana of Galilee, blest 
With the sanction of Christ for thine innocent mirth, 

That first saw His glory confessed,— 
A glory enlivening the festival board, 

Increasing its generous store, 
And cheering the hearts that in wonder adored, 

Till the cup of their gladness ran o'er [ 

And who will unbless what the Saviour has blest ? 
What being of arrogant mould 



396 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTEK EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Will dare at the bridal when He is a guest, 

The cup of his favour withhold ? 
And why are Thy bounties, O Master! disdained, 

When Thy smile so indulgent will be, 
If with conscience unwounded, and spirit unstained, 

They remind us of Cana and Thee ? 

W. C. 

It is not a sufficient explanation of the final cause 
and moral bearing of the miracle (at Cana) to say 
that Christ intended by thus exhibiting His glory 
to incite and confirm a faith in His calling. We 
must seek its import rather by contemplating it in 
reference to His moral self-revelation as a whole ; 
by inquiring how the peculiar spirit of Christ was 
reflected and illustrated in this single act. 

While in retirement, He had resembled in the 
austerity of His life, the ascetic preacher of re- 
pentance, John the Baptist. Now, however, in the 
very beginning of His public labours, no longer in 
solitude, but mingling in the social life of men, He 
enters into all human interests, shares all human 
feelings, and thus at once presents a contrast to the 
severe legalism of John. In the joyous circle of a 
wedding, He performs His "first miracle to gratify a 
social want. Thus He sanctifies connections, feel- 
ings, joys, that are purely human, by His special 
presence, and by unfolding His Divine powers in 



MAEEIAGEABLE AND MAEK1ED PEOPLE 's WEEK. 



397 



such a circle and on such an occasion. In this view 
the miracle gives the spirit of Christian Ethics, whose 
task it is to apply to all human relations the image 
of Christ as stamped upon His self-revealed life. But 
it has a further and great symbolical import: Christ 
employed water, one of the commonest supports of 
life, as the vehicle of a higher power ; so it is the 
peculiarity of Christ's Spirit and labours, the 
peculiarity of the work of Christianity not to destroy 
what is natural, but to enable and transfigure it ; 
to enable it as the organ of Divine powers, to pro- 
duce effects beyond its original capacities. To en- 
ergize the power of water into that of Wine is, in- 
deed, in every sense, the peculiar office of Chris- 
tianity. A. N. 

O Love ; divine and golden ! 

Mysterious depth and height ! 
To Thee the world, beholden, 

Looks up for life and light ; 
O Love ! divine and gentle ! 

The Blesser and the blest ! 
Beneath whose care parental 

The world lies down in rest. 

The fields of earth adore Thee, 

The forests sing Thy praise, 
All living things before Thee 

Their holiest anthems raise ; 



398 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Thou art the joy of gladness ! 

The Life of life thou art ! 
The dew of gentle sadness, 

That droppeth on the heart. 

O Love ! divine and tender ! 

That through our homes doth move, 
Veil'd in the soften'd splendour 

Of holy household love ; 
A throne, without Thy blessing, 

Were labor without rest, 
And cottages possessing 

Thy blessedness are blest. 

The happy homes of England 

In Thee, O Love ! rejoice, 
Their peace is in Thy presence, 

Their gladness in Thy voice ; 
Good is God's holy pleasure 

When, through His bounty, comes 
In overflowing measure, 

Thy gladness to our homes. 

God bless these hands united. 

God bless these hearts made one, 
Unsever'd and unblighted 

May they through life go on ; 
Here, in earth's home, preparing 



MABBIAGEABLE AND 3IAEEEED PEOPLE'S WEEK. 399 

For the bright Home above, 
And there forever sharing 
Its joy where ' God is Love.' 

J. S. B. M. 

WOMAN. 

Thine is the hand to keep the soft home light 
Burning upon God's altar, pure and bright ; 
And with the calmness of thine inner life 
To sooth those spirits worn with outer strife. 
How thou wouldst lose thy dignity of grace 
In the rude turmoil of the world's rough race ? 
The blessed leisure of thy life employ 
In sympathy of sorrow and of joy, 
So shall thou win from hearts that purest fame, 
Breathing to heaven thy fondly uttered name ; 
And if for further honor thou dost pine, 
Then let thy greatness in thy children shine, 
And, in their Christian manliness and truth, 
Show forth the glorious lessons of their youth 
Thus, from the little ones around thy knee. 
Ages to come, perchance, shall learn of thee, 
And when thou sleepest calmly neath the sod, 
Thv life shall vield harvests unto God. 

E. H. 

Wives. — The life-long vow made, 1 till death us 
do part,' is not all sunshine. The married woman 
has much to learn. The first duty of a married 



40 3 



si<::nd goin>Ai afteb epiphjlst. etc. 



woman is to see that she reverences her husband. 
The husband should be the head and the wife the 
help-meet. The first thing that husband and wife 
have to do is to learn one another. Possibly the 
first year of married life will not be altogether the 
happiest. The wife may be will discover that her 
husband has a temper, and so will the husband. 
Each will have their likes and dislikes, and it will 
take some little while to learn, and a little longer to 
manage to fit in, and give way. Rubbing off 
corners is rather sharp work sometimes, but it is 
more comfortable when they are gone. 

A great deal depends upon the wife. She may sink 
into a mere drudge, afraid of her husband and the 
slave of her children ; a useless frightened woman, 
afraid to speak the truth, unable to keep order, and 
yet longing for better things. On the other hand, 
forgetting her right position and disregarding her 
vow of obedience, she may become a scolding wife 
and a hard mother ; her home probably will be re- 
spectable and clean, her husband looked after, and 
her children cared for, but the father will be with- 
out respect, because his wife has usurped his place 
and the mother unloved because she has ruled by 
threats and not governed by love. 

She may develop into a selfish woman, caring for 
her husband only so far as he adds to her comfort, 
and neglecting home and children for her own 



MARRIAGEABLE AND MARRIED PEOPLES' WEEK. 401 

pleasure. Her home will be untidy and miserable, 
her children neglected. Her husband will seek com- 
fort away from home, and she herself probably end 
life as a drunkard. A true wife will put her hus- 
band and children before everything else. Self will 
be forgotten. That her husband and children 
should be prosperous and happy will be her chief 
desire. The picture of the virtuous woman in the 
Proverbs will be her pattern, and this, her ideal, she 
will strive to carry out whether her lot be cast in 
happy lines or not. . . . 

I have spoken of the duty of a Christian woman 
only to marry one who is a Christian in faith and prac- 
tice ; then there is a reasonable hope that each may 
help the other, in building up and ordering rightly a 
Christian home. It will, however, often happen, 
that mere affection has dictated the choice, and the 
wife finds out when it is too late the mistake she has 
made. She must then do her best. No wife ought 
to allow her husband's wishes to interfere with her 
religious duties. With family duties she cannot be 
so often at church as formerly, nor ought she so to 
be, but should never give up her private prayers, her 
public worship once a Sunday, and regular, though 
perhaps, not so frequent Communion. Her hus- 
band will respect her consistency though he may 
pretend to despise it, and she may gradually bring 
him to accompany her, The good wife will train 



402 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTEE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



her children and will not leave all religious training 
to church and schools. 

G. 

When on her Maker's bosom 
The new-born Earth was laid, 

And Nature's opening blossom 
Its fairest bloom displayed ; 

When all with fruit and flowers 
The laughing soil was drest, 

And Eden's fragrant bowers 
Received their human guest ; 

No sin his face defiling, 

The heir of nature stood, 
And God, benignly smiling, 

Beheld that all was good ! 

Yet, in that hour of blessing^ 

A single want was known ; 
A wish the heart distressing ; 

For Adam was alone ! 

Oh God of pure affection ! 

By men and saints adored, 
Who gavest Thy protection 

To Cana's nuptial board ; 



May such Thy bounties ever 
To wedded love be shown, 



MARRIAGEABLE AND MARRIED PEOPLE 's WEEK. 



403 



And no rude hand dissever 

Whom Thou hast link'd in one ! 

R. H. 

Matrimony is holy, because, in our Lord's 
account, it is God Who is the Author of all marriage. 
In His own person He married the first man and 
woman,— He took the woman out of the man, He 
brought the woman to the man, and pronounced 
them one. And that he marries men and women by 
His ministers now, as well as then, in Paradise, is 
plain from the words of Christ, i What therefore God 
hath joined together; ' and if it is God Who still 
joins together the man with his wife, matrimony is 
rightly called holy. 

Now why is it so important to notice this ? It is 
because the whole force of the seventh command- 
ment rests upon this truth, that the man and his wife 
are joined together by God ; for it is because mat- 
rimony is so holy that, therefore, adultery is so sin- 
ful ; it is because God joineth together that man 
must not, by sinning against the ordinance, pre- 
sume to put asunder. 

Matrimony is holy because the bond which God 
ties between man and wife in marriage is most inti- 
mate ; ' they are no more twain/ Mark x. 8— no 
more two, — but one flesh; 9 that is, in all that con- 
cerns the body, in all relations of this world and this 



40-i SECOXT» SUXDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC, 

life, they are joined together till death parts them. 
Spiritually, they maybe far from one; there may be, 
as S. Paul says, the unbelieving husband and the 
believing wife, I Cor. vii, 14, and the reverse ; but in 
the body and in all that concerns this life, they are 
one. 

And what a holy estate matrimony is may be fur- 
ther seen from this, that it signifies to us the mysti- 
cal union between Christ and His Church. Christ 
Himself is called, in holy Scriptures, the Bridegroom 
and His Church, the Bride; and this figure is used 
again and again in the Bible ; indeed, the Canticles 
or song of Solomon are entirely founded upon it. We 
see the same figure in the parable' of the marriage 
feas% Matt. xxii. 2, et seq. II Cor. xi. 2, and in the 
words of the Apostle, 1 I have espoused you to one 
husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to 
Christ.' We see it in that beautiful psalm when the 
Bride of Christ is spoken of as the King's daughter 
all glorious within. We see it in the Revelation, Rev. 
xxi 29. 1 I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem 
coming down out of heaven prepared as a bride 
adorned for her husband. . . . And there came 
unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven 
vials full of the seven plagues, and talked with me, 
saying, Come hither, I will show thee the Bride, the 
Lamb's wife.' And above all, it is seen in those re- 
markable words of"S. Paul, quoted in the marriage 



MAURI A GEABLE AND MARRIED PEOPLE'S WEEK. 



405 



service, Eph. v. 31, 32. ' For this cause shall a man 
leave his father and mother, and shall be joined un- 
to his wife; and they two shall be one flesh. This 
is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and 
the Church/ God having thus sanctified marriage 
to this most excellent mystery, do we riot well to call 
it holy ? 

Marriage being thus, as the Bible teaches us, a holy 
estate, instituted in the time of man's innocency, and 
signifying the mystical union between Christ and 
the Church, is, therefore, as the Apostle says, ' ho?i- 
ourable in all men' Heb. xiii. 4. 

Attempts have been made, for certain ecclesiasti- 
cal purposes, through the denial of this principle, to 
lower the 4 honourable estate of matrimony.' Now 
we have nothing to say against those who, either as 
ministers of Christ or as lay people, voluntarily 
choose the unmarried life. It may, indeed, be the 
mark of the very highest self-devotion, and as S. 
Paul has pointed out to us, in some conditions of 
the Church, to those who can receive it, expedient ; 
but the claiming for a priestly caste, I Cor. vii. 26. 
because they are by compulsion unmarried, or for 
the \ religious orders,' because they are bound by 
conventual vows, a higher degree of purity and 
holiness than for their married brethren, is, to those 
who know the truth, a most impudent imposition. 
Christian liberty, which chooses unmarried life, is one 



406 SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 

thing, ' forbidding to marry 9 is another; I Tim iv. 
3, celibacy is one thing, chastity is another. And 
there is something frightfully presumptuous in any 
earthly authority, however high sounding its titles, 
taking upon itself to declare that the institution of 
God, ordained before sin existed, is not holy ; for 
let sophistry say what it pleases, it does amount to 
that. 

Foreseeing, doubtless, what His Apostles foresaw, 
that men should arise forbidding to marry, and dis- 
honouring the holy institution of marriage, our 
blessed Lord, by beautifying the marriage feast at 
Cana with His presence and the first miracle which 
He wrought, took very effectual means to show that 
they, at least, had no encouragement from Him. 

We are further bound to esteem marriage to be a 
most holy estate, because all the charities of life, yea, 
the very existence of human society, ultimately de- 
pend on its sanctity. The first gift of God to man 
was society ; Gen. ii, iS. 'It is not good that the 
man should be alone;' Gen. i. 28, and then He 
added the blessing, ' Be fruitful and multiply and 
replenish the earth and subdue it.' 

R. T. 

A lawful marriage in God's sight is one which is 
undertaken for His glory, and to His praise, and 
honour. God's word ever so speaks. The Bible 



MARRIAGEABLE AND MARRIED PEOPLE^ WEEK. 



407 



tells us that some people, some men and women are 
called to a single life, and some to a married ; that 
some will find they can serve God best as single 
people, but that most can serve him best as married 
people. But in both cases alike the end is to be the 
same, — God's service and our own soul's good are 
to be the end and object in view. Man and woman 
were joined together in Paradise to serve God in a 
state of innocence together ; man and woman in this 
renewed world, in the Church of Christ are joined 
together for the same purpose, God's honour and 
the mutual advantage of each other in spiritual 
things. To speak otherwise or to feel otherwise, is 
to lower and degrade our Christian position. 
Heathen people in whom the true knowlege of God 
has been almost lost, have so lowered it ; have made 
marriage a mere matter of convenient arrange- 
ment ; sometimes have got rid of marriage altogther. 
And so soon as we forget the holy and religious 
character, which Christ has given to the union of 
His people, we do the same. God has made mar- 
riage a holy mystery ; but we may make it a com- 
mon thing. 

Love, obedience, comfort, support, — these are the 
words which Holy Scripture and the Prayer Book 
use when they would set before us the condition of 
married people. Christian union is to be a step 
heavenwards ; a help on the road towards God. 



408 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



The lif e c f married people is a walk together in a Chris- 
tian path, — the husband seeking to save the wife, the 
wife to save the husband. Different, — far different, 
the actual life of Christian people. Jarring and dis- 
cord; disputings and complainings; jealousy and 
variance,— these are what really mark the married 
life. Homes disorderly and comfortless ; children 
mismanaged and unruly ; little love, little obedience; 
little forbearance ; even when things are no worse, 
bickerings, and unkind words. Is it not so? Are 
we not told that such things cannot be helped, and 
must needs be ? Yes, it always must be with godless 
and irreligious men. It must needs be that offences 
come ; but woe unto the man by whom the offence 
cometh. I say, that every such breaking of the law 
of Christian love in a family, is the breaking of a 
solemn oath, taken before God in His Church, I say 
that all such jarring and discord could be avoided ; 
because the blessing of God's Holy Spirit is given 
you in the blessing of His church at marriage, and 
that Spirit would lead you, if you would be led, into 
peace and love. The Marriage Service stands 
writt in as a witness against all ungodly homes ; all 
noisy, quarrelsome firesides; all jealousy and discord, 
where there should be confidence, and trust, and 
concord. O. O. 

Inasmuch as our American Prayer Book does not 



MABEIAGEABLE AND MAREIED PEOPLE^ WEEK. 409 



contain the instruction provided by the English 
Prayer Book for the members of the Church the 
opportunity is here embraced to convey the benefits 
in the instructions contained in the following extracts 
which form the concluding portion of u the form of 
solemnization of matrimony, " in the English Branch 
of the Catholic Church. 

" Holy Matrimony — is an honourable estate, in- 
stituted of God in the time of man's innocency, 
signifying unto us the mystical union that is betwixt 
Christ and His Church; which holy estate Christ 
adorned and beautified with His* presence, and 
first miracle that He wrought in Cana of Galilee ; 
and is commended of S. Paul to be honourable 
among all men ; and therefore is not by any to 
be enterprised, nor taken in hand, unadvisedly, 
lightly or wantonly, to satisfy man's carnal lusts and 
appetites, like brute beasts that have no under- 
standing ; but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, 
soberly, and in the fear of God ; duly considering 
the causes for which matrimony was ordained. 

First, It was ordained for the procreation of chil- 
dren, to be brought up in the fear and nurture of 
the Lord, and to the praise of His holy Name. 
Secondly, It was ordained for a remedy against sin, 
and to avoid fornication; that such persons as have 
not the gift of continency might marry, and keep 
themselves undefiled members of Christ's body. 



410 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Thirdly, It was ordained for the mutual society, help 
and comfort, that the one ought to have of the other 
both in prosperity and adversity/' 

"If there be no sermon declaring the duties of man 
and wife, the minister shall read as followeth:" 

All ye that are married, or that intend to take the 
holy estate of Matrimony upon you, hear what the 
holy Scripture doth say as touching the duty of hus- 
bands towards their wives, and wives towards their 
husbands. 

S. Paul, in his epistle to the Ephesians, the fifth 
chapter, doth give this commandment to all married 
men; Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also 
loved the Church. (Think of this. C. F. H.) and gave 
Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it 
with the washing of water, by the word; that He might 
present it to Himself a glorious Church, not having 
spot or wrinkle, or any such thing ; but that it 
should be holy and without blemish. So ought men 
to love their wives as their own bodies. He that 
loveth his wife loveth himself; for no man ever yet 
hated his own flesh, bat nourisheth and cherisheth 
it, even as the Lord the Church; for we are mem- 
bers of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. 
For this cause shall a man leave his father and 
mother and shall be joined unto his wife; and they 
two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery ; but 
I speak concerning Christ and the Church. Never- 



MAEELAGEABLE AXD MAEEXED PEOPLE^ "WEEK, 



411 



theless, let every one of you in particular so love his 
wife, even as himself. 

Likewise, the same S. Paul, writing to the Colos- 
sians, speaketh thus to all men that are married ; 
Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter 
against them. 

Hear also what S. Peter, the Apostle of Christ, 
who was himself a married man, saith unto them 
that are married ; Ye husbands, dwell with your 
wives according to knowledge ; giving honour unto 
the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being 
heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers 
be not hindered. 

Hitherto ye have heard the duty of the husband 
toward the wife, Xow likewise ye wives, hear and 
learn your duties toward your husbands, even as it 
is plainly set forth in holy scripture. 

S. Paul in the aforewarned Epistle to the Ephe- 
sians teacheth you thus ; Wives, submit yourselves 
unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For 
the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ 
is the head of the Church; (Think of this. C. F. H.) 
and He is the Saviour of the body. Therefore as 
the Church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives 
be to their own husbands in everything. And again 
he saith, Let the wife see that she reverence her 
husband. 

And in his Epistle to the Colossians, S. Paul 



412 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



giveth you the short lesson : Wives, submit your- 
selves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the 
Lord. 

S. Peter also doth instruct you very well, thus 
saying; ye wives, be in subjection to your own hus- 
bands; that, if any obey not the Word, they also may 
without the Word be won by the conversation of the 
wives; while they behold your chaste conversation 
coupled with fear. Whose adorning, let it not be 
that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of 
wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let 
it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is 
not corruptible ; even the ornament of a meek and 
quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great 
price. For after this manner in the old time the 
holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned 
themselves, being in subjection unto their own hus- 
bands: even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him 
lord, whose daughters ye are as long as ye do well 
and are not afraid with any amazement." 

" It is convenient that the new married persons should 
receive the holy conimunion at the time of their mar- 
riage, or at the first opportunity after their marriage." 

C. F. H. 

O Happy house ! where Thou art loved the best, 

Dear Friend and Saviour of our race, 
Where never comes such welcome, honoured Guest, 



MARRIAGEABLE AND MAE REED PEOPLE'S WEEK. 413 



Where none can ever fill Thy place ; 
Where every heart goes forth to meet Thee, 

Where every ear attends Thy word, 
Where every lip with blessing greets Thee, 

Where all are waiting on their Lord. 

O happy house ! where man and wife in heart, 

In faith and hope are one, 
That neither life nor death can ever part 

The holy union here begun ; 
Where both are sharing one salvation, 

And live before Thee* Lord, always, 
In gladness or in tribulation, 

In happy or in evil days. 

O happy house ! whose little ones are given 

Early to Thee, in faith and prayer,— 
To Thee, their Friend, Who from the heights of 
heaven 

Guards them with more than mother's care. 
O happy house ! where little voices 

Their glad hosannas love to raise ; 
And childhood's lisping tongue rejoices 

To bring new songs of love and praise, 

O happy house ! and happy servitude ! 

Where all alike one Master own ; 
Where daily duty, in Thy strength pursued, 



414 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTEE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Is never hard nor toilsome known; 
Where each one serves Thee, meek and lowly, 

Whatever Thine appointment be, 
Till common tasks seem great and holy, 

When they are done as unto Thee. 

O happy house ! where Thou art not forgot 

When joy is flowing full and free ; 
O happy house ! where every wound is brought— 

Physician, Comforter — to Thee, 
Until at last earth's day's work ended, 

All meet Thee in that home above, 
From whence Thou earnest, where Thou hast 
ascended, 

Thy heaven of glory and of love ! ' 

(C. /. Ph. Spiita) C. I. S. 

The holy state of Matrimony was in the beginning 
of the world instituted by the Almighty, and under 
the law of nature had a particular blessing annexed 
to it. 6 God created man in His own image : male 
and female created He them. And God blessed them: 
and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, 
and replenish the earth.' 'And the rib which the Lord 
God had taken from man, mode He a woman, and 
brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is 
now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. There- 
fore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and 



MABFvXAGEABLE AND MATSBTFOT PEOPLE'S WEEK. 415 



shall cleave unto his wife, and they twain shall be 
One Flesh.' * 

The nuptial Robe, which all must wear 

Who enter to the Sponsal Feast, 
Is not a garb for vulgar stare 

A cloth of gold in samite pieced, 
In costly jewels glittering fair, 

With rustling pride surceased. 

* * The history of the institution of marriage, and this exal- 
tation of it into a type of Christ's eternal union with the 
Church, (so much dwelt on in some of the books of the Old 
Testament) would teach us clearly, that no divorce, save by 
death, was originally contemplated in the Divine mind; and 
this is further incontestably proved by Christ in the language 
of the text— 4 Have ye not read, that He which made them at 
the beginning,' (He, that is, who designed what they should be 
and do, and has an indisputable right to exercise His will) 
1 made them male and female,' (male and female man, this 
means— imperfect parts of one being — man) and joined them 
together, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and 
mother, and shall cleave to his wife ; and they twain shall be 
one flesh ! Wherefore they are no more twain but one flesh. 
What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put 
asunder. 

' This, brethren, is Christ the Lord's answer to the ques- 
tion of the Pharisees, 'Whether it is lawful for a man to put 
aw T ay his wife for every cause,' He refers His inquirers imme- 
diately to the original institution of marriage as a sufficient an- 
swer, and, quoting the words then used by the Creator Himself, 
or dictated by His inspiration, expressive of the most entire and 



416 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTEH EPIPHANY, ETC. 



The nuptial Robe which all must don 
Who would their heads lift up on high, 

Who would approach the Bridal-throne 
With contrite heart and suppliant eye, 

This yoke of Peace and this alone 
Is the fair stole of Charity. 

permanent union required between a man and his wife — words 
which He says make them no longer 'twain, but one flesh'- — He 
adds his own absolute, peremptory, and unqualified decree, 
* What therefore God has joined together, let not man put as- 
under.' In this sentence, observe, He makes no exception ; 
He allows neither adultery nor any other cause, as a justification 
of a breach of His prohibition. He positively forbids every 
human being to dissolve a union, which, as He shows, The 
Almighty Designed to be Indissoluble.' 

So close and dear was the union divinely cemented between 
them. Under the Mosaic Law, the Almighty more distinctly 
announced its dignity and obligations. Thus, by divine insti- 
tution, Marriage was made the first and closest of human 
relationships. Afterwards, under the Christian dispensation, 
our Divine Redeemer sanctified it still more, and bestowed 
upon it higher and holier dignity, in making it a type of His 
own indissoluble union with His Bride, the Church. 

Holy Matrimony was instituted by Jesus Christ, in order 
to bestow on those who enter into the married state, a particu- 
lar grace, to enable them to discharge all the duties required of 
them ; To enable them to live together in union, pence, and 
love ; To ennoble and purify that natural affection, which, 
founded on virtue, and sanctioned by religion, can alone consti- 
tute the happiness of a married life; To correct the inconstancy 
of the human heart ; To soften down the asperities of temper 



M AH BIAGEA BLE AND MAKEIED PEOPLE'S WEEK. 417 

The nuptial Robe is pure and white, 
Unsoiled in deed, unstained in thought, 

With willing heart and purpose right, 
In works of Love it must be wrought, 

Although 'tis wove with colours bright, . 
It shall not pass where Love is nought, 

and enable each party to bear with the other's defects, with the 
same indulgence as if they were their own ; To cause them to 
entertain sentiments of mutual respect, to preserve inviolable 
fidelity towards each other, and to vanquish every unlawful de- 
sire; give grace to subdue or regulate the motions of concupis- 
cence, and to avoid every impropriety inconsistent with the 
sanctity of their state; for there is an innocence and purity as 
necessary in a married, as in a single life ; And moreover to 
give them grace to discharge well that most important duty of 
training up their children in the fear and love of God. For 
these duties annexed to the married state cannot be fulfilled 
without great exertions, nor will those exertions be successful 
without the blessing and grace of God. 

Therefore they who intend to enter into this state, ought to 
proceed with the greatest prudence, and make the best possible 
preparation, that they may obtain these precious and abundant 
graces from the Almighty. 

i. They ought, by fervent and devout prayer, to implore the 
Divine assistance, to guide them in their choice of a proper per- 
son; for on the prudent choice which they make will very much 
depend their happiness both in this life and in the next. They 
should be guided by the good character and virtuous dispositions 
of the persons of their choice, rather than by riches, beauty, or 
any other worldly considerations, which ought to be but secon- 
dary motives. 



418 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. ETC. 



The nuptial Robe to which is given 
An entrance to the Bliss of God, 

Must raise the Soul with Virtue's leaven, 
Must to the Cross point out the road, 

And humbly labour still, till Heaven 
Relieve thee of thy heavy load. 

2. They ought to enter into this holy state with the pure in- 
tention of promoting the honour and glory of God, and the 
sanctification of their own souls ; and not merely from any 
earthly motive, or sensual gratifications. 

3. They ought, moreover, to select a person of their own Re- 
ligion, for experience shows, that a want of unity in religion 
between the husband and wife is frequently attended with the 
worst consequences, both to themselves and to their children, 

4. Before they make any advance 111 a matter of such great 
importance, they ought to ascertain whether there be any im- 
pediment to prevent their lawful union ; and parents are in 
duty bound to prevent too great an intimacy between their chil- 
dren and relations, within the prohibited degree of kindred. 

5. They who intend to marry ought to ask the advice of their 
parents or guardians, etc. 

6. Those who keep company with a view to marriage, should 
be careful never to take or to allow any indecent familiarities, for 
these are sinful, and draw down upon them the just indignation 
of God, in place of that blessing of which they then stand so 
much in need. 

7. It is also advisable some time previous to their marriage, 
to inform their clergyman of their intentions, that so he may 
have time and opportunity to point out to them the preparation 
most useful for them, and instinct them in the duties and 
obligations of the state of life into which they purpose to enter. 



31AEBIA.GEA33LE AND ilASEIED PEOPLE'S WEEK, 



419 



Then clothed anew in Virtue's dress 
Angels shall bid thee welcome Home; 

Then shall the toil that did oppress 
Be buried with thee in the tomb; 

Then shall ye hear that last Address — 
Ye blessed of My Father, come ! 

L. E. 



8. The Church, ever solicitous for the welfare of her children 
would have them before their marriage to receive with devotion 
the Holy Communion. 

9. At the time of the marriage, they ought with the greatest 
decorum and reverence to approach the altar, where, in the 
presence of God and His Church they are about to enter into a 
solemn contract and engagement not to be broken but by 
death, and receive the benediction of God's minister with hum- 
ble and sincere devotion. 

10. When the married couple leave the church, they ought 
to carry with them f elin^s of respect for the Holy Sacrament 
which they have received, and of gratitude to God for His mer- 
cies. They should spend the day in such a manner, as not to 
lose the blessings which they received in the morning. They 
ought to celebrate their marriage like Holy Tobias, in the fear 
of the Lord, and strive to conduct themselves with as much 
sanctity and decorum, as if Jesus Christ were a guest among 
them, as He was at the marriage feast at Cana. They should 

particularly careful not to profane the day of their marriage 
by dissipation or intemperance, which are unbecoming at all 
times, but more particularly on so important and sacred an 
occasion. 

11. They ought frequently to reflect on their duties and ob- 
ligations as inculcated in the Word of God. And it would be 



420 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Are you going to be married ? If so, you are 
about a great matter. On'ce married there is no 
change, no parting till death; it is a life's work; 
through rough days or smooth, joy or sorrow, sick- 
ness or health, you will have one by your side who 
will be as it were a part of yourself. You twain 
will be one flesh. You add the care of another to 
the care of yourself; you have two souls to care for; 
you will be responsible to God for your conduct to 
the husband or the wife whom you are about to 
take; you must have influence one way or other for 
good or evil, when you become a part of another 
and another a part of you; for that influence you 
will have to give account at the judgment-seat of 
Christ. 

If you help to lead your wife or husband along 
the narrow way of life, you will find mercy and 
blessings at the Lord's hand; if you are careless 
about the things of God, worldly, thoughtless, you 
will bring wrath upon yourself for failing to be a 

very useful to read over the Marriage Sen-ice on each anniver- 
sary of :he wedding, to recall the solemn nature of the married 
state. 

' All ye that are married, or that intend to take the holy 
estate of Matrimony upon you. hear what the Holy Scrip:ure 
doth say touching the duty of husbands towards their wives 
and wives towards their husbands ' etc. See Exhortation at 
the end of the Marriage Service. (In the English Prayer 
Book). C. G. 



MARRIAGEABLE AND MAKEIED PEOPLE'S WEEK. 421 



religious, a holy partner to the soul to which you 
are joined. 

In no light spirit, therefore, should you bound 
forward towards the day of your marriage, as if 
marriage were simply one wav of enjoying life, a 
mere pleasure and source of joy. Pleasure there is 
and joy in a holy marriage, where heart answers to 
heart in a holy and godly home; but the act of mar- 
riage is a high, solemn, spiritual act, a step leading 
to heaven or hell, acting on eternity; it is an act 
therefore requiring deep thoughts, great anxiety, 
high resolves, fervent prayer; it is the beginning of 
new duties, new responsibilities, new temptations, 
new trials. 

If you choose one as your partner and companion 
for life whose heart is set on Christ's law, and if 
you yourself make your choice in a religious spirit, 
that marriage may be a means of furthering your 
salvation; then doubtless God's blessing will de- 
scend upon you when you are joined together; 
matrimony will be a help to you on the way of life; 
you will be sustained, aided, succoured in your en- 
deavours to be saved; you will be encouraged and 
cheered onward in your heavenward course ; you 
will not have to struggle alone, nor to fight alone ; 
you will have sympathy in all your trials; you will 
be able to speak out your thoughts concerning God; 
you will have one to join you in all good works, to 



422 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTEE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



feel with you and to feel for you, to delight in work- 
ing with you in all Christian deeds. 

Such is the choice that you should make; and 
having made the choice you should dress and pre- 
pare your soul for the holy rite of marriage, and the 
holy estate of which the rite is the beginning; you 
should set to work and by God's grace get yourself 
into* a holy frame of mind, that you may not lose 
God's blessing by coming in a hasty and unprepared, 
way. You should make holy resolutions of entering on 
a new and more decided life; of walking more closely 
with your Lord; of taking up your cross more 
earnestly; of casting yourself more entirely into 
the service of Christ. You should say to yourself 
6 1 am about to take a great step, to make a great 
change in my life, and I will now seek so to fit my- 
self for this new state, that the Spirit of God may 
be with me to keep me and to bless me, and to 
strengthen me.' You should look upon marriage 
as a fresh dedication of yourself to God, as a thing 
chosen on religious grounds, for your religious ad- 
vancement, for your growth in grace. 

You should strictly examine your past life, see 
what your faults and sins have been, go through a 
solemn course of repentance; that with the new 
robes of marriage you may have a new heart ; 
see what your evil leanings and inclinations are, 
that you may make a great struggle to conquer and 



MARRIAGEABLE AND CARRIED PEOPLE S WEEK. 



423 



subdue them, or at least to lessen them and break 
their strength before you marry. 

Besides a course of repentance you should give 
yourself to a course of especial prayer; you should 
offer yourself to God in solemn prayer; you should 
ask for blessings upon your marriage; you should 
beseech Him for Christ's sake to make your mar- 
riage good and profitable to your spiritual state; 
you should seek for grace and strength rightly to 
perform the duties of married life. 

1 That ye may so live together in this world that 
in the world to come ye may have life everlasting/ 
are the concluding words of the most solemn bene- 
diction in the marriage service ; yet how many 
who hear them at the time of marriage hear them 
for the last lime as well as for the first in their lives. 

A Christian man or woman cannot think of mar- 
riage as a mere legal ceremony, permitting two per- 
sons to live together for the term of their natural 
lives; the State can, and in many instances does 
allow this, and the consequences are that people 
who undertake lightly to live together, as lightly 
separate from each other, and having only natural 
obligations do really live ' as brute beasts which 
have no understanding.' 

But a Christian cannot fail to remember that mar- 
riage is a great mystery, one which our blessed 
Lord consecrated by His presence and first miracle 



424 SECOND SUNDAY AFTEK EPIPHANY, ETC. 

in Cana of Galilee, and on the fulfilment of whose 
duties depends. the temporal, and not unfrequently 
the eternal happiness of all married people. 

T. P. U. 

4 Not for the summer hour alone, 

When skies resplendent shine, 
And youth and pleasure fill the throne, 

Our hands and hearts we join ; 
But for those stern and wintry days, 

Of sorrow, pain and fear, 
When Heaven's wise discipline doth make 

Our earthly journey drear. 

Not for this span of life alone, 

Which like a blast doth fly, 
And, as the transient flower of grass, 

Just blossom — droop and die ; 
But for a being without end, 

This vow of love we take,— 
Grant us, O God ! one home at last, 

For our Redeemer's sake.' 

(" Mrs. Sigourney ") R. E. H. 

The time in which we live is one in which it be- 
hoves us to lay down very plainly before you the 
doctrine of Christian Marriage.— 

The marriage contracted before the Registrar 



MARRIAGEABLE AND MARRIED PEOPLE *S WEEK. 425 



(civil officer) is indeed a true legal marriage, but it 
is not a Christian Marriage.— 

Christ gives the requisite grace in the rite of 
Holy Matrimony, ministered by His priest, empow- 
ered by Him to bless in His name — to enable those 
whom He makes one to live together in mutual love 
and fidelity, and to assist one another in the way to 
Heaven. 

Now then, what is marriage at a registrar's office 
(or civil marriage)? It is the union of a man and a 
woman who think to live together without God's 
grace, to be man and wife by law, but not as Chris- 
tians. 

How do you think Christ will regard such as set 
at naught this ordinance, who say by their acts, We 
will enter on this new condition without asking God 
to bless us, without obtaining from Him any 
help to enable us to fulfil the duties that devolve on 
us therein. 

Marriage (before a civil officer) must be allowed 
in this country for those who are not members of 
Christ's church ; for Jews, and infidels, and for 
those who have cut themselves off from communion 
with Christ ; but it is a shocking thing to think that 
those who have been baptized, and have put on 
Christ, in their infancy, should when entering on a 
most important condition of life, put off Christ, 
and try to do without Him. S. B. G. 



426 



SECOND SUNDAY AFT EE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Concernnig married persons, besides the keeping 
their mutual faith and contract with each other, these 
particulars are useful to be observed. 

1. Although their mutual endearments are safe 
within the protection of marriage, yet they that have 
wives or husbands, must be as though they had 
them not ; that is, they must have an affection 
greater to each other than they have to any person 
in the world, but not greater than they have to God : 
but that they be ready to part with all interest in 
each other's person rather than sin against God. 

2. In their permissions and licence, they must be 
sure to observe the order of nature and the ends of 
God. ' He is an ill husband, that uses his wife as a 
man treats a harlot,' having no other end but pleas- 
ure, concerning which our best rule is, that although 
in this, as in eating and drinking, there is an appetite 
to be satisfied, which cannot be done without pleas- 
ing that desire; yet, since that desire and satisfaction 
were intended by nature for other ends, they should 
never be separate from those ends, but always be 
joined with all or one of these ends, 4 with a desire of 
children, or to avoid fornication, or to. lighten and 
ease the cares and sadness of household affairs, or to 
endear each other,' but never with a purpose; either 
in act or desire, to separate the sensuality from the 
ends which hallow it. — 

Married people must keep — modesty and decency 



MAKEIAGEABLE AND MAEKIED PEOPLE S WEEK. 



427 



— always remembering, that those mixtures are 
most innocent which are most simple and most 
natural, most orderly and most safe. 

4. It is a duty of matrimonial chastity, to be re- 
strained and temperate in the use of their lawful 
pleasures : concerning which, although no universal 
rule can antecedently be given to all persons, any 
more than to all bodies one proportion of meat and 
drink; yet married persons are to estimate the de- 
gree of their liccense according to the following pro- 
portions, 1. That it be moderate, so as to consist 
with health. 2. That it be so ordered as not to be 
expensive of time, that precious opportunity of 
working out our salvation. 3. That when duty is 
demanded, it be always paid (so far as in our 
powers and election) according to the foregoing 
measures. 4. That it be with a temperate affection, 
without violent transporting desires, or too sensual 
applications. Concerning which a man is to make 
judgment by proportion to other actions, and the 
severities of his religion, and the sentences of sober 
and wise persons, always remembering, that mar- 
riage is a provision for the supply of the natural 
necessities of the body, not for the artificial and 
procured appetites of the mind.— 

5. Married persons by consent are to abstain from 
their mutual entertainments at solemn times of de- 
votion, not as a duty of itself necessary, but as being 



428 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



the most proper act of purity, which in theii con- 
dition they can present to God, and being a good 
advantage for attending their preparations to the 
solemn duty and their demeanor in it. It is S. 
Paul's counsel, that, ' by consent for a time they 
should abstain that they may give themselves to 
fasting and prayer.' (I Cor. vii. 5.) And though 
when Christians did receive the Holy Communion 
every day, it is certain they did not abstain, but had 
children; yet when the communion was more seldom 
they did with religion abstain from the marriage bed 
during the time of their solemn preparatory devo- 
tions. 

6. It were well if married persons would, 
in their penitential prayers, and in their general 
confessions, suspect themselves, and accordingly ask 
a general pardon for all their indecencies, and more 
passionate application of themselves in the offices of 
marriage; that what is lawful in its kind, may not be 
sullied with imperfect circumstances ; or if it be, it 
may be made clean again by the interruption and re- 
callings of such a repentance, of which such uncer- 
tain parts of action are capable. Bp. J. T. 

Four marriages are spoken of in Holy Scripture 
— the first, historical; the second, allegorical ; the 
third, tropological; the fourth, anagogical. (1) The 
literal marriage is the carnal union between the man 



MARRIAGEABLE AXD MARRIED PEOPLE 's WEEK. 



429 



and the woman ; (2) the allegorical is between 
Christ and His Church; (3) the tropological be- 
tween God and the soul ; (4) the anagogical be- 
tween God and the Church Triumphant. Of the 
first, Esth. ii. 18, ' The King made a great feast with 
all his princes and servants' on the occasion of his 
marriage with Esther. Of the second, S. Matt, 
xxii. 2, ' The Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a 
certain King which made a marriage for his son.' 
Of the third, Hosea ii. 19, 'I will betroth thee unto 
Me in righteousness.' Of the fourth, S. Matt. xxv. 
10, ' They that were ready went in with Him to the 

T. A. 

Marriages have always been discouraged by the 

Church, and, indeed, forbidden, 

during the seasons of Advent . % . 

, T j , . improper during 

and Lent, and from Rogation L t 

Sunday to Trinity Sunday; and 

all good Christians ought, at least, to avoid being 

married during the season of Lent. 

The impediments of Marriages are chiefly ' con- 
sanguinity ' (relationship in blood), Forbidden 
and 'affinity' (relationship by degrees. 
Marriage). A table of such relationships or ' for- 
bidden degrees ' is often printed with Prayer Books 
and Bibles, and may be made clearer still as follows: 



430 SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 

1. Relatives whom a Man may not Marry. 
Mother or ) of hig Qwn Qr hig wife , s nts ^ 
Stepmother J 

f his father, or father-in-law. 
" uncle. 
Widow of { " brother. 

" son, or step-son. 
c " nephew. 
Aunt } 

Sister I of himself or his wife# 
Daughter, cr j 
Niece J 

Daughter or ) Qf his Qwn Qr his wife>s chnd 
Step-daughter ) 

2. Relatives whom a Woman may not Marry. 
Father, or * of her own, or of her husband's par- 
Step-father j ents. 

f her mother, or mother-in-law. 
| " aunt. 
Widower of <J u sister. 

j " daughter, or step-daughter. 
[ " niece. 

Uncle 



ren. 



Brother t ^ herself or her husband. 
Son, or j 
Nephew J 

Son, or ) of her own, or of her husband's, chil- 
Step-son ) dren. 

These 'forbidden degrees are founded on an ex- 
press law of God, laid down by Him in Lev. xvm. 
6-18; and observation shows that when they are 



M A.RRIAGE ABLE AND MARRIED PEOPLE^ WEEK. 



431 



disregarded, childlessness, or the inborn seeds of 
disease in the offspring, are the result — most fre- 
quently in the second generation. K. P. 

' It is the worst clandestine marriage/ said old 
Thomas Fuller, 'when God is not invited tq it, 
wherefore, beforehand beg his gracious assistance/ 
Equally bad, we add, is the marriage, when His 
presence is not retained, and they who at first sought 
His blessing do not hold to it even to keep them true 
and thoughtful, to lift them into a union to which 
the Beloved Son was not ashamed to compare His 
own communion with souls. Perfection on earth we 
may not ask, nor call a hasty word or impatient thought 
unpardonable. They who love much must expect 
to forgive something and forbear sometimes. But 
this may be expected and is demanded, that they 
who take each other's welfare in charge should never 
do any intentional unkindness, or fail of aught that 
may be done for the other's welfare. This may be 
expected and is demanded, that when the tie that 
binds them is severed by the only power that can 
fitly part them, and they are to part at death — they 
should look back with mutual blessing to the hour 
of their first union, be assured that through all vicis- 
situdes and infirmities, they have tried to make each 
other better and happier, and that they have learned 
of Him whose name at their Cana made their wed- 



432 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



ding sacred, to trust in the realm where they neither 
marry nor are given in marriage, but are as the an- 
gels of God. 

Shrink not from applying the truth now before us 
to ourselves. Parents, apply it, and in training your 
sons and daughters use good sense upon a subject so 
often left to utter folly. They talk and think about 
it enough in a certain way, and with such poor aids 
as trashy novels and paltry gossip. Let them think 
and talk about it wisely, and let them not, if they 
can help it, learn wisdom at the cost of wretchedness. 
Respect Heaven's own laws, and do not allow the 
world's fashions and tyrannies to get the better of 
reason and conscience in controlling the most im- 
portant of destinies. Husbands and wives, apply the 
truth — allow no routine to chili affection — no 
monotomy to break down thoughtfulness. If the 
envious years should not allow you to celebrate your 
golden or even your silver wedding, live while you 
may in the wisdom which is the word of love, and 
the worth of it is beyond silver or gold or rubies. 

S. O. 

Husbands — The headship of a family carries 
with it heavy responsibilities. We may shrink from 
them and avoid them, but still they remain. A good 
husband and a good father make a happy home and 
honest children — Many I suppose start their married 



MABRIAGEABIiE AND MAREIED PEOPLE *S WEEK. 433 



life with the full intention of realizing their ideas of 
a happy home. The picture is very pleasant, the 
reality is too often quite the reverse. Why ? Very 
often because of a want of mutual forbearance. It 
takes some little time really to know one another, 
and unless there is a spirit of mutual forbearance 
the little differences will become great quarrels. 
The husband is to rule, but he is not to be a tyrant. 
The wife is not bound to give a blind obedience to 
all his commands, and the husband is bound to re- 
spect his wife's wishes It ought to be a rule that 
in matters of importance, where either feels it to be 
a question of duty, that if they cannot agree neither 
should endeavor to force the other to act against 
their conscience. 

Give your wife a regular sum — and let it be 
clearly arranged what expenses she is responsible for. 

Do your Church-going together as far as you can, 
and when that is impossible arrange one with the 
other, so that each may be able to go at some time 
every Sunday. Above all keep one another up to 
your regular Communions, for there is little blessing 
on the married union that is not blessed with 
a higher Communion. 

When you have children train them — Take your 
children to Church with you instead of seeing that 
they are sent. Come is a much better word of in- 
struction than go. 



U4 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTEB EPIPHANY, ETC. 



You have no right to shirk your duties as a man 
to your home, as a Christian to your Church, or as 
a citizen to your country. The support and train- 
ing of your family is your first duty, and nothing 
may rightly come in the way, but the fulfilling of that 
need not prevent your carrying out your other duties. 
You are a Christian, you receive spiritual benefits 
from your connection with the Church, you are 
bound then to make some return. Your prayers 
your alms, and your active work, according to your 
means and opportunities, ought to be available for 
the work of the Church. There ought not to be 
drones in the Church's hive, but each member should 
bear his share of the burdens, as well as partake of 
the blessings. There is work for every one that is 
ready to help. 

It is frequently said that if people cannot agree 
they had better separate ; but that is not the prin- 
ciple of Christian marriage. The Christian doctrine 
is that marriage cannot be dissolved, and that the 
parties must cleave to each o:her. Experience shows 
that people are less like to disagree when they must 
live and act together. When they have no other re- 
source they will think of curbing their passions and 
of mutual concessions. The possibility of separa- 
tion is an encouragement to obstinacy. It is the na- 
ture of man to exaggerate the present inconvenience 



MARRIAGEABLE ASD MARRIED PEOPLE S WEEK. 



435 



and to look with less dislike upon that which is not 
actually felt. It is therefore important that when 
married persons find it difficult to agree, it should be 
present to their minds that separation is sinful, and 
therefore impossible. The power of flying from the 
ills we have to others that we know not of, is a dan- 
gerous power. Some persons may object to this rea- 
soning, that it is hardly within the compass of the 
human mind to measure the good and evil which arise 
from a rule of morals, and still less to measure those 
which may arise from changing one rule for another. 
This is true, but the rule which forbids the separa- 
tion of man and wife is prescribed by Infinite Wis- 
dom 

Our blessed Lord four times promulgated with 
His own lips the rule, that the bond of marriage 
cannot be dissolved. Upon two of the four occa- 
sions he introduced an exception to the rule. The 
passages have already been several times quoted in this 
work, but it is proper again to transcribe them here, so 
far as to introduce the exception. The first is: 'Who- 
soever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of 
fornication, causeth her to commit adultery.' 
(Matt. v. 32.) Another is: ' Whosoever shall put away 
his wife except it be for fornication, and shall marry 
another, committeth adultery.' (Matt, xix, 9.) It 
seems clear that the rule of indissolubleness is laid 
down, and equally so that there is one exception, and 



436 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



but one to that rule. That exception is fornication. 
The word fornication is now understood, whatever 
may have been the case formerly, to mean sexual inter- 
couse between unmarried persons. But it is agreed 
that the Greek word, which in these two places is tran- 
slated by that English word, includes any kind of 
sexual sin. The plain literal and grammatical mean- 
ing then is, that a man may put away his wife, if she 
commit sexual sin, but for no o:her cause. Various 
questions have been raised about the meaning of the 
word translated fornication, of putting away, and 
about other matters connected with the exception, 
all of which will be hereafter considered. It is how- 
ever clear, that putting away a vrife except for for- 
nication, whatever that may mean, is forbidden, and 
that there is no other exception to trie rule of indis- 
solubleness. There is but one exception, the very 
form of the exception, or saving clause, excludes the 
idea that there can be more. 

H. D. E. 

THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 

This Commandment is intended to teach us our 
duties in regard to purity of mind and body. It for- 
bids, however, only the highest act of impurity, viz., 
adultery; (Exod. xx. 14) which is, properly, un- 
chastity in or with married persons. 

Now, marriage is of God's ordinance, or appoint- 



MAJRKIAGEABLE AND MARBIED PEOPLE'S WEEK. 



437 



ment (Mark x. 6-8) and this has sanctified all mar- 
riages, even as Christ's one baptism sanctified all 
baptisms ; and so, all married persons are joined to- 
gether by God (Mark x. 9.) Moreover, marriage 
has been approved by Jesus Christ; (John ii 1-11) 
and has been honoured by being made a figure of 
His present (Eph. v. 28-31) and eternal (Rev. xix. 
6-9) union with His Church. Hence, it is an hon- 
ourable estate, (Heb. xiii. 4.) and, therefore, lawful 
in all. 

By this ordinance, then, those who are married, 
become one flesh, (Gen. ii. 21-24) an d, so, enter up- 
on a union not to be invaded by others ; the knowl- 
edge of which, however, is not naturally discovered; 
but is a mystery; i. e., a matter revealed, and also a 
figure of a higher union and mystery (Eph. v. 32.) 

But though thus lawful it may not be contracted 
with more than one woman or man at once. 

Moreover, marriage must not be contracted with 
those who are near of kin to us, (Levit. vii. 39, 40.) 
either by blood, or by marriage ; for the first kind 
nature abhors, and the Law agrees in this abhorrence ; 
(Levit. xviii. 9.) and the second the Law forbids, some 
of them by name, (Lev. xviii. 15, 16) and, therefore, 
all others of the same degree of kin ; and since it 
foibids them on the ground of kinship ; and on such 
marriages defiling the Canaanites, its forbidding is 
of force with Christians as well as Jews, and is in- 



438 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPD?HANY, ETC. 



tended for all time ; and in support of the Law, it is 
to be observed that kinship by marriage is the only- 
bar of this kind mentioned in the New Testament, 
viz., by John Baptist (Mark vi. 17, 18) in the case of 
a brother's wife, and by St. Paul (I Cor. v. 1) in the 
case of a step-mother. Moreover, our Saviour, by 
declaring again that man and wife are one flesh, 
(Mark x. 6-8) has made even more sacred and strict 
the laws forbidding marriages among those con- 
nected only by kinship; neither can they be allowed, 
except by overthrowing the great principle on which 
the sacredness of marriage rests, viz., the two becom- 
ing one flesh. Hence, the early Church not only 
declared such marriages as those with a wife's sister 
no marriage, but excommunicated those guilty of 
them. 

No marriage may be contracted with a person not 
a Christian; (I Cor. vii. 39) even as such cannot be 
without great disadvantage, while the contrary is 
very advantageous. 

God, also, condemns fornication generally, (I 
Thess. iv. 2. 3) i. e., unchastity in married or unmar- 
ried persons, whether woman (Num. xxv. 6, 8.) or 
man, (I Cor. x, 8.) because it is a sin of a like nature. 

Moreover, all uncleanliness, i. e., moral unclean - 
ness, is condemned, (Eph. v. 3) particularly effem- 
inacy, or acting against nature ; (I Cor. vi. 9.) and 
not only acts of uncleanness, but unclean words, 



MARRIAGEABLE AND MARRIED PEOPLE ? S WEEK. 489 

(Eph. v. 4.) looks, (II. Pet. ii 14), thoughts, and pur- 
poses, (Matt. v. 28.) 

Among these acts of uncleanness are to be reck- 
oned drunkenness, (Gal. v. 19-21) revelling, (Isai. v. 
11. 12,) and gluttony, (Prov. xxiii. 20. 21) i.e., excess 1 
in wine, or company, or food. 

As the contrary to excess and all uncleanness, 
we should deny ourselves, (Luke ix. 23) sometimes 
even in innocent things ; keep all the sinful lusts of 
the flesh crucified and harmless, as they once were 
made ; (Gal. v. 24) cleanse ourselves not only out- 
wardly in deed, but inwardly in spirit; (II Cor. vii. 1) 
and practice temperance, (I Cor. ix. 25) sobriety, and 
chastity. (Titus, ii 1-6.) 

Moreover, in everything we should also keep a 
good name, (Prov. xxii. 1.) and thus remove all 
grounds of scandal; so, especially should we in re- 
gard to the duties of this Commandment. 

Further, Christian women, and much more men, 
should, in their apparel, or dress, observe modesty ; 
(I Tim. ii. 9) and, though they may have ornaments, 
(Jer. ii. 32.) should not reckon them as their adorn- 
ing, i.e., that on which they set their minds ; but let 
this be, in women, a meek and quiet spirit, (I Pet. 
iii. 3. 4.) and, in all, the grace of Jesus Christ. 

Since also, our only escape from sinful lusts, 
(II. Tim ii. 22) and deeds, (Gen. xxxix. 12) is by 
resolute flight, we should strictly shun the thoughts, 



440 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTEB EPIPHANY, ETC. 



words, (Eph. v. 4) places, (Prov. vii. 7-10) and com- 
pany, (Gen. xxxiv. 1. 2.) which lead to them. 

And, moreover, since evil is very subtle and 
crafty, we must keep, or guard, our heart with all 
diligence, (Prov. iv. 23) so as especially to keep this 
pure ; (Matt. v. 8.) since from it all evil proceeds, 
(Mark vii 21-23) and we cannot keep it or ourselves 
too pure. (Pt. i. sec. 8). 

Not only, however, does the Commandment bind 
us to these things, but it is confirmed by other rea- 
sons. Thus, since the Spirit of God dwells in Us, 
as in a temple, (I Cor. vi .19) this should also lead 
us to master our passions, and to practice purity ; 
especially, as to profane a temple is sacrilege, and a 
great sin against God. Moreover, we are redeemed 
by Christ's precious blood, (I Pet. i. 18. 19.) and be- 
come by it His people and members; (Titus ii. 13, 
14) and should, therefore, flee all self-indulgence, 
(Titus ii. 11. 12.) and everything unbecoming a 
Christian, (Eph. v. 2-4) and practice all purity ; 
(Eph. v. 24-27.) especially since he suffered such 
greivous pains for us. And, besides, purity in heart 
(Matt. v. 8.) and life (I. John iii. 2. 3,) alone will 
qualify us for the purity of heaven and the sight of 
God ; as they now greatly tend to the health and 
vigour of mind and body. 

If, on the contrary, we will follow the sins forbid- 
den by this Commandment, we may expect grievous 



MARRIAGEABLE AND MAREIED PEOPLE'S WEEK 441 

earthly punishment ; (Hosea iv. 1-3) and we shall 
especially injure ourselves, whether we give way to 
adultery, (Prov, vi, 32, 33.) fornication, (I Cor. vi. 18) 
or drunkenness; (Prov. xxxiii. 29-32) and, besides, 
if not repented of, these sins will each and any shut 
us out from the kingdom of God, (Gal. v. 19-21) and 
cause us to be cast into hell fire, (Rev. xxi. 8.) They 
also often lead to murder (II Sam. xii. 9) and 
great miseries and poverties in families ; and, hence, 
though little thought of, should, in some measure, be 
restrained by civil punishments, (Rom. xiii. 4). 

S. P. 

I have seen a home where there was everything 
money could give, every comfort, every luxury. 
There were splendid rooms, rich furniture, delicate 
food, many servants, and yet that home was as des- 
olate as a forsaken nest in winter, full of snow. And 
why ? Just because the mother bird neglected her 
nest, instead of brooding tenderly over it, and keep- 
ing it warm beneath her wings. The woman who 
should have been the centre of home, never used 
her beautiful power, she let in discord, strife, and 
coldness. Love, peace, and rest never come near it. 
It was a house, not a home. The husband and chil- 
dren cared no more for it than for any other place 
where they could get food and clothing. They 
stayed there without pleasure, they left it without re- 



442 



SECOND srNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



gret. Never in after-lite, when that home was bro- 
ken up, wo aid they look back lovingly to it in 
thought, as one of the green spots in the desert of 
life. How could they care more for it, than we care 
for an inn where we spend a week and go on our 
way ? 

But I have also seen homes where the fare 
was poor and coarse, where the rooms were very 
small, perhaps only a sanded kitchen, and one tiny 
bed-room, where there were no servants, save love 
and tender unselfishness ; no rich furniture, only 
deal tables and chairs ; no splendid clothes, only 
patches and darns ; but the queen of home reigned 
there. It was a true home to which the man turned 
longingly, amidst the bustle and worries of life. 
He knew that there, at least, he would rind one lov- 
ing heart, full of tenderness, on whom he could rely 
— one to whom he could turn for sympathy in 
trouble, for encouragement when the struggle was 
hard, for joyful exultation when his victory was won. 
His dinner of herbs was seasoned with love, and it 
was sweeter than the daintiest fare. Mirth, peace, 
and happiness sat at his table, and his guests were 
all friends. 

Such a home is possible to all of you, if you will 
only set about striving for it in earnest. For a true 
woman makes a home wherever she may be, and that 
in spite of poverty, pain, or trouble. Her presence 



MARRIAGEABLE AND MARRIED PEOPLE'S WEEK. 443 



is the pivot on which her husband's happiness 
turns. His feeling about her is just this :— 
' For where thou art is home to me, 
And home without thee cannot be.' 

I do not say it is easy to be all this to your hus- 
band ; it wants self-sacrifice, it wants courage, it 
wants patience, but I do say it is possible to those 
who try for it. And if you ask me, 4 Is it worth 
striving for, as you say it is so hard ?' I answer, 
* Think of the influence of such a home on a man's 
life. Look at one who has spent his childhood in 
such a happy, holy home. He may fall away and 
sink in evil for a time, but the thought of that pure, 
peaceful home is an anchor that holds, when almost 
all others have snapped in the storms of life.' 

What am I to do to make such a home as you 
have been speaking of ? 

Well, dear friend, the very first thing is, to do 
what the disciples of old did in their dreary home, 
Take Christ into it, Pray to Him as they did, 
'Abide with us.' Without Him no true home is pos- 
sible. He is our Shelter ; hide in Him. He is oui 
Refuge from the storm ; our Shadow from the heat. 
In His presence there is fulness of joy. Make your 
home under the shadow of His wings. And next, 
study the little comforts of home. Your work will 
lie in what seems, perhaps, very little duties, such as 
bright smiles, a neat, trim appearance, a clean hearth, 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTEB EPIPHANY, ETC. 



a tidy room, a well-cooked supper. These little 
things seem small, but they are very important, be- 
lieve me, and besides often need, as I said before, a 
great deal of unselfishness, of courage, of patience. 

If we look at Christ's example, we shall see, I 
think, that true love is known by four things. They 
are, unselfishness, faith, endurance, and lastly, hope, 
by means of which men are raised to higher, better 
things. S. Paul pnts it very simply for us, when he 
says that love ' beareth all things, believeth all 
things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.' (I Cor. 
xm\ 7.) 

Perhaps there may be some of you here, dear 
friends, who used to be thoughtless and giddy, when 
you first married, but who have since been led ' to 
choose the better part, ' and listened to Jesus when He 
called you to follow Him. You have tried to be His 
servant, and it grieves you very much that your hus- 
band, although he is perhaps outward'y moral and 
steady, does not care for holy things. He is no help 
to you on the road to heaven. He avoids talking of 
anything to do with religion. If you speak of it he 
turns the conversation to something else. He does 
not care to read the Bible with you. He seeks not like 
you to gather the children round you every evening for 
family prayers. He goes to church but seldom, and 
is glad to shirk it if possible. When you go up to 
the Holy Table to receive the precious memorials of 



MALIIIIAGEABLE and mabried people's week. 



445 



your Saviour's dying love, you have to go by your- 
self, and have never knelt there side by side with 
your husband. All this grieves you sadly. You 
wish very much that it could be altered. 

Or, perhaps, it is even worse. Your husband has 
fallen in with bad companions; he has given way to 
sinful habits. He is oftener seen at the public-house 
of an evening than at home. When he comes back, 
it is to give you rude, rough words, or even blows, 
and then to sink into the dull, heavy sleep of the 
drunkard on his bed. His wages never come home 
to you as they should. They stop half-way at the 
sign of the Red Lion or the Cross Keys ; the children 
get shabby and ragged for you have not money to 
buy them fresh clothes. It is even hard sometimes 
to get bread to feed them ; so you get down-hearted 
and despair. 

You think, ' What is the use of my trying to keep 
things straight and tidy, with such a husband as he 
is ? Oh, if some one could only win him back into 
sober, steady habits, and get him to see the folly of 
his ways, and the ruin he is bringing on us all ! ' 

Or again, perhaps, your husband is a clever work- 
man, and gets good wages. He is a scholar and 
fond of reading, but he has got hold of some of 
the bad books that are so common now-a-days, and 
has learnt from them to mock at the Bible, and 
laugh at any one who believes in God or in a future 



446 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTEB EPIPHANY, ETC. 



life. Perhaps he does not keep you from going to 
church, but he would never be seen inside the doors 
himself. He says, • Religion is only good for women 
and babies. A man need not trouble himself about 
it. No one with any sense believes everything there 
is in the Bible. He has seen too much of the world 
to do that.' His companions encourage him in his 
sin, and he is proud of his unbelief. He calls it 
' progress ' and ' enlightenment' or other such fine- 
sounding names. 

Ah, dear friend ! such a case is indeed a sad one. 
No wonder you grieve over it so deeply. No won- 
der you would give anything to see your husband 
brought to the feet of Jesus, cured of his madness 
and folly. 

But do not despair ; even for you there is help and 
comfort ...-„'. S. Peter was writing to wives who 
had very much the same trials as yourselves, 
and he does not say that There Is No Hope. These 
Christian women had unbelieving husbands also. 
Some of them were heathen, who worshipped the 
false gods of Rome ; others were men who believed 
in nothing, and who thought themselves wiser than 
their fellows for doing so ; men who scoffed at Jesus 
of Nazereth as a miserable malefactor ; men who 
indulged themselves in every sort of sin, in drunk- 
enness, in impurity, in open blasphemy ; men who, 
like Gallio, ' cared for none of these things' that 
their wives loved and believed in. 



MARRIAGEABLE AND MARRIED PEOPLE'B WEEK. 



447 



And yet S. Peter says, ^ They may be won' — won 
over to Jesus— won to hate the sins they now delight 
in — won to give themselves up body and soul to the 
Saviour — won to die for Him, if need be, as 
martyrs at the stake. And won, how ? 'By the con- 
versation of their wives.' 

Now, the word conversation does not here mean 
exactly what w T e now-a-days call conversation— that 
is, talking to one another. S. Peter does not mean 
that the husbands are to be won by the wives 'preach- 
ing at them,' as the husbands would say. Words 
sometimes do more harm than good. We are so apt 
to mix up feelings of indignation, of impatience, of 
bitterness, with our words, that sometimes we only 
goad into worse behaviour, the very people we wish 
to lead aright. I know of wives, who, with the best 
intentions, have only made their husbands' hearts 
harder, by reproaching them for their cruel be- 
haviour, by bitterly complaining of their wrongs, by 
telling them ' they ought to be ashamed of them- 
selves,' and so on. 

Now, a man may sometimes be really ashamed of 
himself, and have a sort of repentance springing up 
in his heart which he wont show, and the wife's hasty 
words destroy it ail. Her complaints rouse him to 
retort ; they quarrel mutually over it, and perhaps 
the husband goes off, forgetting all his good resolu- 
tions, and resolving instead, to do over again just 



us 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC 



the very thing of which his wife has been complain- 
ing. No, my friends, it is a very early lesson of 
married life, and indeed of life .... that if you 
want a man to do anything for you, it must be by 
leading, not by driving. Words are very helpless 
things to effect a change in a man's life. Preaching 
may win one where the i conversation* S. Peter 
means will win a hundred. 

What then, is this * conversation ' ? The word in 
Greek means the whole behaviour, the every day 
conduct, the entire change of life, which Christ 
makes in the heart. It is this which is to win your 
husband. As our Saviour tells us Himself elsewhere, 
* Let your light so shine before men, that they may 
see your good works, and glorify your Father, which 
is in heaven.' You must be ' a burning and a shin- 
ing light/ if you want to lead others to heaven. 
Just as the lighthouse stands firmly built on the 
rock itself, shining out over the black foaming waves 
to show the ships the way into the harbour of refuge 
and safety, so a Christian woman, by her daily life of 
holiness, gentleness, and love, shows her husband 
and family the only way to happiness and peace. 

Resting herself on the Rock, Jesus Christ, all 
the waves of trouble, trial, and sin cannot shake her 
faith, or make her lamp of love and goodness burn 
a bit less brightly. The darker the night, the more 
brilliant is the gleaming track cast by the lighthouse 



MARRIAGEABLE AND MARRIED PEOPLE'S WEEK. 



449 



on the stormy waves; the more bitter and hard the 
everyday troubles of the Christian woman may be 
to bear, the more bravely and courageously does she 
struggle with them, the more patiently and gently 
does she take them. And so at last even the most 
thoughtless man is led to say, ' Well, it beats me 
what makes her so gentle and patient through it all. 
I can't put her out of temper — the more I grumble 
and scold her, the more smiling and loving she gets. 
If its her religion that makes her like that, it can't 
be such a bad thing after all. I think I'll try it too. 
Its a shame to vex such such a good wife as she is.' 
And so, little by little, through prayer, and love, and 
faith, the man is won by the conversation of the wife. 

I think if we could look into the history of thous- 
ands of saved souls, we should find they owed their 
conversion, under God, to the love and prayers of 
wives and mothers ; women who would not give up 
trying to win them to Jesus. They worked on, they 
prayed on, till at last the desire of their hearts was 
granted them, and they saw their loved ones sitting 
at the feet of Jesus, penitent and forgiven. 

There is a wonderful instance of this in the life of a 
very noble woman called Monica, who lived many 
hundreds of years ago. By her prayers and her 
holy life she won to Christ, first her husband, who 
was a heathen when she married him, then her moth- 
er-in-law, a woman of an ill-tempered jealous dispo- 



450 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTEE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



sition, and lastly her son Augustine, who had lived 
a most wild, wicked life, but who was converted 
through his mother's prayers. 

Her son afterwards wrote an account of her life, 
to encourage wives and mothers, who have the same 
troubles as Monica, and to show them that they need 
never despair. Listen to what he tells us about her. 
He says: 'Brought up soberly and modestly, and 
made subject rather by Thee, O Lord, to her par- 
ents, than by her parents to Thee, so soon as she 
was of a marriageable age they bestowed her on a 
husband. She served him as her lord, and did her 
dilgence to win him unto Thee, preaching Thee unto 
him, by her conversation by which thou ornamentest 
her, making her reverently amiable and admirable 
unto her husband. And she so endured all wrongs 
as never to have any quarrels with her husband 
thereon; for she had learnt not to resist an angry 
husband, not in deed only, but not even in word. 
Only when he was smoothed and tranquil, and in a 
temper to receive it, she would give an account of 
her actions, lest haply he had over hastily taken of- 
fence. In a word, while many matrons, who had 
milder husbands, yet bore even in their faces marks of 
shame, and would in familiar talk blame their hus- 
bands' lives; Monica would blame their tongues, giv- 
ing them as in jest, earnest advice. And when they, 
knowing what an ill-tempered husband she endured, 



MABBIAGEABLE AND MABBIED PEOPLE'S WEEK. 



451 



marvelled that it had never been heard, nor by any 
token perceived, that he had beaten his wife, or that 
there had ever been any domestic difference between 
them, even for one day, and confidentially asking the 
reason, she taught them her practice above men- 
tioned. Those wives who observed it, found the 
good, and those who observed it not, suffered. 
Finally, her own husband, towards the very end of 
his earthly life, did she gain unto Thee, nor had she 
ever to complain of that in him as a believer, which be- 
fore he was a believer, she had borne from him. 
Also her mother-in-law who was at first, by evil tongues 
incensed against her, she so overcame by observance 
and persevering endurance, and meekness, that they 
lived together with a remarkable sweetness of 
mutual kindness. Yea, she showed herself such a 
peacemaker that whosoever knew her, did through 
her much praise and love and honour Thee, O Lord. 
For through the witness of her holy conversation 
they perceived Thy presence in her heart.' 

A good wife will be the help of her husband's soul. 
She will not be content with caring for the perisning 
body; she will strive with all her might to make his 
soul purer and better every day ; she will try by 
every means in her power to lead him towards 
heaven, to help him to draw nearer to God by faith 
and love. Some wives only help their husbands on 
the road to hell. Oh, what a fearful help that is for 



452 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



a soul that must live forever! Better for such 
if they had never been born. Such women are their 
husbands' curses. They are the devil's best help in 
ruining men. 

That is why king Solomon says, 4 Two are better 
than one, for if they fall, the one will lift up his fel- 
low, (Eccles. iv, 9. 10.) Lift up eackother when you 
fall into sin, raise up each other by love and prayer, 
It is a great work that you are both, given to do. 
God make you worthy of it ! 

Again, we read in the same chapter of Eccle- 
siastes, the 12th verse, ' If one shall prevail against 
him, two shall withstand him.' Many a man has 
not the courage to stand alone; but if he feels there 
is some one at home who cares whether he stands or 
falls, some one who is praying for him, that he may 
resist sin and grow in grace, the thoughts of that 
loving heart will be a bulwark for him, and help him 
when the temptation is strong against him. Oh, 
what a grand thing it would be, if, whenever a man 
were tempted in his busy life, out in the open world, 
his wife would always stand up with him against 
evil, and help him to conquer. Side by side 
how many more victories would be won. We 
should not hear so many sad stories of defeat and 
ruin, if only husbands and wives would uphold each 
other more bravely in good paths. 

Again, to be a real help to your husband's soul, 



MAEEIAGEABLE AND 3IABEIED PEOPLE'S WEEK, 453 

you must be 'meet,' that is, fit for him. This teaches 
us that it is not an easy thing to be all this. It will 
not come naturally. You mast work and strive for 
it. You must ask God the Holy Spirit to train you 
in holiness, purity and love. Without His help you 
will never be worthy of a good man's love. Andre- 
member always that marriage means more than 
wearing a gold ring, and going through the service 
in church ; more than being the companion of a 
man's life, and the mother of his children. ' They 
twain shall be one' — one in love, one in feeling with 
each other ; one in wants, one in duties, one in sor- 
rows, one in joys, one all through life till death part 
them. See what you have undertaken. It is no 
light or easy matter to make yourself entirely one, 
with another person. It is not easy to sympathize 
with him as with yourself, to think for him as you 
do for yourself, to help him as you help yourself, to 
care for him more than for yourself. Yet that is 
what you undertook when you married. 
How have you kept your promise ? 

W. & M. 

Readings. — Gen. ii. 18 and fol. vs. Ex. xv. 22 to 
end. xviii. 1-8. Isa. li. liii. lv. lvii. Iviii. lix. Ixi. Ixv. 
Eccles. xi. S. Matt. xi. 25 to xii. 9. S.Mark, vi. 1-6 
S. Luke iii. 23-39. iv. 3 t -3 7. S. John i. ii. 1-12. iii. 
14-21. viii. 12-28. x. 14-18. Rom. vi. 12-19. xi. 17-25. 



454 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



xii. xiv. 14-26. I Cor. v. xiii. II Cor. iv. I Tim. i. 15- 
17. iii. 1-9. iv. 12. — v. 10. 

See also Homilies on the State of Matrimony, and 
Against Whoredom and Adultery. Also the canons 
of the Church on Divorce and Prohibited Marriages. 
Also The u Table of Kindred and Affinity, wherein 
whosoever are related are forbidden in Scripture and 
our laws to marry together ,! and The Marriage Ser- 
vice in the Prayer Book of "the Church of England." 
Also Bishop Jeremy Taylor's u Holy Living and 
Dying." 

HOUSEHOLD TRIALS. 

Few positions in life are so full of importunities 
as that of the mother of a family, or mistress of a 
house. She may have a dozen interruptions while 
writing one letter or settling an account. What 
holiness, what self-control is needed to be always 
calm and unruffled amid these little vexations, and 
never to manifest the slightest impatience! 

Leaving the work without apparent annoyance, re- 
plying with a smile upon the lips, awaiting patiently 
the end of a long conversation, and finally returning 
calmly to the yet unfinished work — all this is the 
sign of a recollected soul, and one that waits upon 
God. 

Oh ! what blessings are shed around them by such 
patient souls, but, alas ! how rarely they are to be 
met with ? E. L. E. B. 



MARRIAGEABLE AND MARRIED PEOPLE 's WEEK. 455 



PURITY OF MARRIAGE. 
Whatever hypocrites austerely talk 
Of purity, and place, and innocence, 
Defaming as impure what God declares 
Pure, and commands to some, leaves free to all, 
Our Maker bids increase \ who bids abstain 
But our destroyer, foe to God and man ? 
Hail wedded love, mysterious law, true source 
Of human offspring, sole propriety 
In Paradise of all things common else. 
By thee adul'trous love was driven from men 
Among the bestial herds to range ; by thee, 
Founded in reason royal, just and pure, 
Relations dear, and all the charities 
Of father, son, and brother first were known. 
Far be it that I should write thee sin or blame, 
Or think thee unbefitting holiest place, 
Perpetual fountain of domestic sweets, 
Whose bed is undefiled and chaste pronounced, 
Present, or past, as saints and patriarchs used. 
Here Love his golden shalfts employs, here lights 
His constant lamp, and waves his purple wings, 
Reigns here and revels. — Milton. 

R. D. D. 

Psalms xiv. xv. Ixv. Ivi. lxvii. Ixxxi. xciii. xcv. 
xcvi. xcvii. cvii. ex. cxvi. exxviii. cxlviii. 8th Selec. 

Anthems. Any Text in the Words for the Week. 



456 



SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Hymns. 34, 45,152,157,162, 169, 190-202 inc. 
205, 207, 232, 245, 272, 285, 333, 338, 340, 346, 358, 
362, 408, 410, 456, 5 12 > 5 l8 - 

Collects. Annunc. Epiph. Conv. S. Paul. 3d 
end of C. O. 

Jesus Christ Himself being the chief Corner- 
stone. Ephes. ii. 20, 

The Church's one foundation 

Is Jesus Christ her Lord ; 
She is His new creation 

By water and the word: 
From heaven He came and sought her 

To be His holy Bride; 
With His own Blood He bought her, 

And for her life He died. 

Elect from every nation, 

Yet one o'er all the earth, 
Her charter of salvation 

One Lord, one faith, one birth ; 
One holy Name she blesses, 

Partakes one holy food, 
And to one hope she presses, 

With every grace endued. 

Though with a scornful wonder, 
Men see her sore opprest, 



MARRIAGEABLE AXD MARRIED PEOPLE 's "WEEK. 



By schisms rent asunder, 

By heresies distrest ; 
Yet saints their watch are keeping, 

Their cry goes up, 1 How long ? p 
And soon the night of weeping, 

Shall be the morn of song. 

'Mid toil and tribulation, 

And tumult of her war, 
She waits the consummation 

Of peace for evermore, 
Till with the vision glorious 

Her longing eyes are blest, 
And the great Church victorious 

Shall be the Church at rest. 

Yet she on earth hath union 

"With God the Three in One, 
An* mystic sweet communion 

With those whose rest is won ; 
O happy ones and holy ! 

Lord, give us grace that we, 
Like them, the meek and lowly, 

On high may dwell with Thee. 



THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, 
ETC., OR INFIRMITY WEEK. 



All ye who seek a certain cure 

In trouble and distress, 
Whatever sorrow vex the mind, 

Or guilt the soul oppress: 

Jesus, Who gave Himself for you 

Upon the Cross to die, 
Opens to you His sacred Heart,-— 

Oh, to that Heart draw nigh! 

E. C. 

HOME COLLECT. 
O God to Whom is known all the frailty of man, 
have compassion on us Thy unworthy servants, and 
stretch forth Thy right Hand to help and defend us 
in all dangers and adversities for His sake Who is 
touched with the feeling of our infirmities, and now 
reigns with Thee and the Holy Ghost; one God, 
world without end. Amen. C. F. H. 

459 



iGO 



THIED SUNDAY AFTEK EPIPHANY, ETC. 



COMMENTS. 

When the light of the sun has guided us safely 
into the right path, its next use is to discover to us 
our dangers, and show us how to avoid them. So 
it is with the light of God's grace. Having guided 
us into the paths of holiness (see Services for ist 
Sunday after Epiphany) and peace (see Services for 
2d Sunday after Epiphany) its next step is to show 
us the dangers which surround us, and to teach us 
where to look for safety. 

Our chief danger lies in the weakness of our 
nature; therefore in the Collect, we beseech Al- 
mighty God * mercifully to look upon our infirmities/ 
Then the Epistle cautions us against the particular 
failings into which the infirmities of our nature 
would be most likely to lead us. It points to the 
pride, (v. 16.) and malice (v. 19.) of our own hearts, 
as the enemies from whom we have the most to fear; 
for ' pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty 
spirit before a fall/ These are the root of all evil, 
the very beginning of all sin; they are the tools 
which the devil makes use of to ruin men's souls; and 
they are the more dangerous, because they do not 
come upon us all at once, but little by little, taking 
us in their snares before we are aware, and making 
even our best actions and intentions to be sometimes 
an occasion of falling. Thus a spirit of self satis- 
faction in anything we do, when it is felt apart from 



INFIRMITY WEEK. 



461 



gratitude to God, Who has enabled us both to 1 will 
and to do,' will lead us on to pride and self-confi- 
dence; therefore, let us watch that we be not wise 

in our own conceits And as it is with 

pride so also is it with anger. Our self-love first 
persuades us that we are hardly dealt with, or injured 
by oar neighbors; if not immediately checked, this 
thought will lead us on to anger — anger will be fol- 
lowed by revenge; (v. 19.) and so begins the sin 
which has been known to end in murder. To avoid 
so sad a fall we must follow the apostle's injunctions 
of trying to live peaceably with all men; (v. 18.) and 
if others will not live peaceably with us, we must 
never 1 recompense evil for evil;' (v. 20.) rather 
should we try to soften their hearts by kindness and 
forbearance, for as fire softens the hardest substance, 
so will repeated offices of kindness and charity at 
last melt even the stony heart of the enemy. 

.... Leprosy is a loathsome and deadly dis- 
ease, which it is beyond the power of human skill 
to cure. Sin is that fatal and deadly disease of the 
soul, which none but the Saviour of mankind can 
heal. Leprosy does not show itself all at once, bat 
begins with a small and apparently trifling spot, 
which gradually spreads itself over the whole body; 
jast as sin has its origin in a bad thought, and what 
we should call trifling fault, and then immediately 
creeps over the whole soul This deadly 



462 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



disease still clings even about regenerate Christians. 
It is the greatest danger which besets the path of the 
children of light, from our very childhood its spots 
are continually showing themselves, and must be as 
continually checked. 

But if we have the leper's disease, we have the 
leper's cure. Christ, the Healer of mankind, is still 
really, though invisibly, present to heal our diseases 
and strengthen our infirmities. By the assistance of 
His Spirit, and the healing of His grace, He now 
stretches out His 4 right hand ' in answer to our 
prayers. 

Only we must follow the leper's example: . . . 
The cure of the centurion's servant, which follows, is 
perhaps even more encouraging to those who see 
Christ by faith and not by sense. From it we learn 
that He is able to dispense His healing power by 
His word as well as by His touch; in His absence as 
"well as when He is bodily present. C. T, 

WHAT WILL YOU DO WITHOUT HIM. 
I could not do without Him ! 

Jesus is more to me 
Than all the richest, fairest gifts 

Of earth could ever be, 
But the more I find Him precious — 

And the more I find Him true — 
The more I long for you to find 

What He can be to you. 



KsFIKMITY WEEK. 



You need not do without Him, 

For He is passing by, 
He is willing to be gracious, 

Only waiting for your cry : 
He is waiting to receive you— 

To make you all His own ! 
Why will you do without Him, 

And wander on alone ? 

Why will you do without Him ? 

Is He not kind indeed ? 
Did He not die to save you ? 

Is He not all you need ? 
Do you not want a Saviour ? 

Do you not want a Friend ? 
One Who will love you faithfully, 

And love you to the end ? 

Why will you do without Him ? 

The Word of God is true ! 
The world is passing to its doom — 

And you are passing too. 
It may be no to-morrow 

Shall dawn on you or me ; 
Why will you run the awful risk 

Of all eternity ? 

You could not do without Him, 
If once He made you see 



464 



THIKD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



The fetters that enchain you, 

Till He hath set you free. 
If once you saw the fearful load 

Of sin upon your soul;— 
The hidden plague that ends in death, 

Unless He makes you whole! 

What will you do without Him, 

When death is drawing near ? 
Without His love — the only love 

That casts out every fear; 
When the shadow-valley opens, 

Unlighted and unknown, 
And the terrors of its darkness 

Must all be passed alone ! 

What will you do without Him, 

When the great white throne is set, 
And the Judge Who never can mistake, 

And never can forget,— 
The Judge Whom you have never here 

As Friend and Saviour sought, 
Shall summon you to give account 

Of deed and word and thought ? 

You cannot do without Him! 

There is no other name 
By which you ever can be saved, 

No way, no hope, no claim! 



INFIRMITY WEEK. 



Without Him — everlasting loss 
Of love, and life, and light! 

Without Him — everlasting woe, 
And everlasting night. 

But with Him — oh ! with Jesus! 

Are any words so blest ? 
With Jesus, everlasting joy 

And everlasting rest ! 
With Jesus — all the empty heart 

Filled with His perfect love; 
With Jesus— perfect peace below, 

And perfect bliss above. 

Why should you do without Him ? 

It is not yet too late; 
He has not closed the day of grace, 

He has not shut the gate, 
He calls you! hush! He calls you! 

He would not have you go 
Another step without Him, 

Because He loves you so. 

Why will you do without Him ? 

He calls and calls again — 
* Come unto me! Come unto me!' 

Oh, shall He call in vain ? 
He wants to have you with Him; 



466 



THIBD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Do you not want Him too ? 
You cannot do without Him, 

And He wants — even you. F. R. H. 

The Epiphany of Christ as the Divine Healer 
of human infirmities is commemorated on this Sun- 
day. His all-embracing sympathy could take in 
even the leper and the stranger; and would mani- 
fest itself to overflowing by touching the one, whom 
no one else could come near, and by healing the 
servant of the other, though he was the Gentile 

slave of a Gentile centurion Leprosy was 

a disease for which no human physician could 
find a cure; yet Christ put forth His hand and 
touched one leper, and at once a regeneration of the 
diseased nature took place, so that he became anew 
man. Palsy or paralysis, again, is a loss of all 
muscular energy and power, so that the afflicted 
person becomes, in a greater or less degree, incapa- 
ble of moving; and his body, in severe cases, is, in 
one sense, dead. Very rarely indeed is paralysis 
cured ; and never, in the case of one ' grievously 
tormented 7 with it, as this slave was. Yet the will 
of the Good Physician effected the cure in a 
moment, either by the ministration of one to whom 
He could say, 4 Go and he goeth ' on His Master's 
errand of mercy, or else by the immediate operation 
of His Divine Omnipotence. J. H. R 



IXFISMITY WEEK. 



467 



Lord ! Whose love, in power excelling, 

Wash'd the leper's stain away, 
Jesus ! from Thy heavenly dwelling, 

Hear us, help us, when we pray ! 

From the filth of vice and folly, 

From infuriate passion's rage, 
Evil thoughts and hopes unholy, 

Heedless youth and helpless age; 

From the lusts whose deep pollutions 

Adam's ancient taint disclose, 
From the Tempter's dark intrusions, 

Restless doubt and blind repose. 

From the miser's cursed treasure, 
From the drunkard's jest obscene, 

From the world, its pomp and pleasure, 
Jesus ! Master ! make us clean ! R. H. 

Himself took our infirmities, and bore our sick- 
ness. Isa. liii. 4 Himself, no other; 

and not only that, but Himself by Himself took 
unto Himself those sufferings which He removed 
from man. What a depth of sympathy does this 
manifest ! It shews us the Son of Man averse to 
sickness as the child and consequence of sin, and 
yet bearing in the way of a mysterious sympathy the 
maladies of every sick person that. He cured ! 

T. C. S. 



463 



THIKD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. ETC, 



Who shall tell our untold need. 

Deeply felt though scarcely known? 

Who the hungering soul can feed 
Guard and guide, but God alone ? 

Ask not how. but trust Him still; 

Ask not when, but wait His will; 

Simply on His word rely, 

God 1 1 shall* all your need supply. 

F. R. H. 

So wide is the difference between the Creator and 
His creatures; — between Him and us, His fallen 
creatures— that whenever we approach Him, whether 
to confess our sins and supplicate pardon for them, 
or to pray for His grace, or to praise Him for His 
mercies, we cannot use terms too deeply expressive 
of humility. Indeed, humility is the certain fruit 
of a heart wherein true religion is duly cultivated, 
and is most conspicuous in those whose lives are 
adorned with the most exemplary piety. The more 
we contemplate the perfections of God, and 
compare the perfect services which His law requires, 
with our imperfect fulfilment of them, the more 
readily we own, in the language of our Liturgy, that 
we are 1 miserable sinners/ that there is • no health 
in us.' For if, by the Divine blessing on our 
endeavors after holiness, we be preserved from 
wilful sin, still we are conscious of continual fail- 



DvFIEINIITT WEEK. 



469 



ures in our duty to God, — still conscious of many 
4 negligences and ignorances/ which must either be 
pardoned or punished. 

These infirmities^ as the Collect terms them, we 
pray God to look upon mercifully; for though many 
of them may be 1 ignorances,' yet as they are a 
breaking of the perfect law of God, they are par- 
doned only by the mercy of God, through Jesus 
Christ His Son. 

.... To bear with patience the sorrows of 
this life, looking forward by faith to their end in the 
next; to go steadily through evil report and good 
report, neither exalted by the one, nor depressed by 
the other j to have our own actions misconstrued, 
and our motives wilfully misunderstood, yet neither 
to murmur or repine; to have our good evil spoken 
of, and our efforts for peace met with scorn, yet to 
ensue peace (1 S. Pet., iii. i), and strive to answer 
evil with good; — all this requires a freedom from 
infirmity, which nothing but the Spirit of God can 
give; nothing but His Almighty power supply. 

The Epistle for this Collect is most aptly 
chosen. The duties to which S. Paul there exhorts 
us, are exactly such as our infir7nities would disable 
us from performing. Thus, for instance, the Apostle 
often felt — as who does not naturally feel ? — rising 
indignation at unworthy treatment: he attributes 
such a feeling to our infirmities } or weakness of 



470 



THIKD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



faith. If our faith were not weak, we should re- 
member Him who tells us, ' Love your enemies:' 
.... ' Bless them that curse you; recom- 
pense no man evil for evil/ Vengeance is mine; I 
will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine 
enemy hunger feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; 
for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his 
head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil 
with good. C. C. 

A SINFUL MAN AM I. 
A sinful man am I. 

Therefore I come to Thee, — 
To Thee, the Holy, and the Just, 
That Thou mayst pity me. 

Wert Thou not holy Lord, 
Why should I come to Thee ? 

It is Thy holiness that makes 
Thee Lord, so meet for me. 

Wert Thou not gracious, Lord, 

I must in dread depart: 
It is the riches of Thy grace 

That win and draw my heart. 

Were Thou not righteous, Lord, 

I dare not come to Thee: 
It is a righteous pardon, Lord, 

Alone that suiteth me. 



INFIRMITY WEEK. 



471 



Our God is love,— we come; 

Our God is light,' — we stay; 
Abiding ever in His word, 

And walking in His way. 



Mercy and truth are His, 

Unchanging faithfulness; 
The Cross is all our boast and trust; 

And Jesus is our peace. 

We give Thee glory, Lord ; 

Thy Majesty adore. 
Thee, Father, Sox, and Holy Ghost, 

We bless for ever more. 

(Horatius Bonar) C. I. S. 

Our Blessed Saviour not only bore our griefs 
and carried our sorrows in His atoning death, but 
also showed throughout His ministerial life that He 
came to be the great Healer of all our woes and 
sufferings, both ghostly and bodily. .... In 
His life .... two of those miracles related 
by S. Matthew (in the Gospel) show us, He was 
evidently the Great Restorer, both for Jew and Gen- 
tile. And on the Cross He died as a ransom, and 
not for His own nation only, but that also He might 
gather together in one all the children of God 
which were scattered abroad (S. John xi. 52), and 



472 



THIKD SUNDAY ATTEE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



might present them in Himself as a glorious 
Church. 

.... The Jewish leper, the Gentile Cen- 
turion — how fitly are they taken together ! How 
graciously the Saviour of the world turns from the 
one to the other, that so He may be manifested 
forth as Lord over all, the Deliverer of the Jew 
first, but also of the Gentile, ' rich unto all that call 
upon Him'? (Rom. x. 12). 

.... The leper was a very ' parable of death 9 
(Trench) and sin. 

O how many of us know the spiritual sickness, of 
which this was but the figure ! One little act of 
selfishness, or intemperance, or impurity, one cow- 
ardly word of pride or falsehood, one evil lust in- 
dulged—then the sin spreading into a habit, and 
meeting other sins, which also become habits— at 
last the very mind and conscience defiled— wicked- 
ness gradually working death — keeping us from the 
house of God, from prayer, from the society of true 
Christians — drawing us into bad company — making 
us afraid of ourselves — forcing us to say, 'O 
wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from 
the body of this death '? (Rom. vii. 2). 

Yet, blessed be God, the type and the antitype, 
the leper and the sinner whom He pictures to us, 
both came under the compassionate gaze, the loving 
heart of Christ our Saviour; and the healing, 



INFIRMITY WEEK. 



473 



which was utterly beyond the power and skill of 
man, was thoroughly effected by Him Who came to 
take our infirmities and bear our sicknesses, to show 
His dominion over every disease, and to cleanse us 
from all sin. Yes, that 4 the lepers are cleansed ' (S, 
Matt. xi. 5), was one of the true proofs of His be- 
ing the Messiah, the anointed Saviour of His 
people ; and that He is the Propitiation of the sins 
of the whole world (I S. John ii. 2), is the sure and 
only groundwork which we have for our hope of 
everlasting life.* 

.... But the leper was a Jew, and Jesus 
Christ must manifest Himself as the Friend, and 
Lord, and Saviour of the Gentiles also. And 

thus it was in the very next instance Here 

truly was a great Epiphany, . . . . Christ. 
manifesting Himself as a King and a Saviour even 
to the stranger who had called upon His name. 

Here then are two miracles of mercy, which 
throw light on this season of the Christian year. O 
may they teach us to glorify our Lord, and to re- 
joice in the comforts which He brings us ! 

* May we not receive encouragement from our Lord's con- 
duct towards this leper ? May we not gather from it that He 
is both able to save us and also willing? Ah, if we feel the 
leprosy within, and if we have learnt something of our own 
loathsomeness, it is a blessed thing to know that there is in 
Jesus not only the power > but also the heart to heal us. A. O. 



474 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



.... 4 We have not an High-priest Which 
cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmi- 
ties ' (Heb. iv. 15, 16) Is there any one 

among us who seldom comes to the House of God, 
who hardly ever seeks the face of the Lord, or lifts 
up his prayer to the Father in heaven, but who yet 
has, like the rest of us, his share of trial and trouble? 
—let him remember that for him too Jesus Christ 
has a real fellow-feeling, knowing how deeply he 
is to be pitied for his unbelief. And remembering 
this, he will not surely turn away from the only One 
Who can help him— the only One Who can do him 
good here and hereafter. The only One Who can 
save him from sin in this world, and damnation in 
the world to come — the Only One Who can allure 
the distant sinner, without discouraging the faithful 
that are already nigh, saying, ' Peace, peace, to him 
that is afar off and to him that is near; I will heal 
him.' .... 

Then again, in all our bodily sicknesses, our men- 
tal tribulations, ay, in our slow recovery, by God's 
reviving grace, even from a state of spiritual death, 
what a blessing for us to be able to rest on Christ 
as the Healer of all infirmities, the Life of them 
that believe, and the Resurrection of the dead ! 
How beautifully this was brought out in the ancient 
service, giving these words of Holy Writ as the 
Offertory sentence — ' The Right Hand of the Lord 



INFIRMITY WEEK. 



475 



hath the pre-eminence, the Right Hand of the Lord 
bringeth mighty things to pass. I shall not die, but 
live, and declare the works of the Lord ' (Ps. cxviii. 
i7)- 

.... But it is often for others that we are 
perplexed, anxious, cast down. Let this Gospel 
narrative .... encourage us to a steadfast per- 
severance in our love for souls, and to a holy 
resolution to bring them and their needs and cares 
to Him Who has been gracious to us. We are not 
sufficiently alive to the value of faithful intercession. 
We do not see as the Centurion did, that no one is 
too low for Christ's regard — that what man reckons 
as only worth half a farthing, God does not in the 
least despise or forget. .... When we go to the 
Saviour on behalf of those we love, we can be 
sure of His attentive ear, His ready help. 

.... Let the mercy of Christ bring us all, in 
the sense of our sins, to Him as the Saviour of 
sinners. We cannot surely despair. To despair, 
and to depart from Christ still further instead of 
repenting, and taking one step, and then another, 
towards Christ, would be the deadliest sin of all. 
The very worst among us, the most leprous heart- 
so defiled that nothing is pure to it — the will that 
has weakened itself the most terribly by drunken- 
ness and unclean ways — may yet arise, in that awful 
feeling of supreme danger, in that most dire neces- 



476 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



sity, the fear of hell, and come to the Son of God. 
You have not quite forgotten His voice of love. 
' Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out ' 
(S. John vi. 37). However great has been your sin, 
however long continued your evil habit, do not stay 
away from Christ, do not delay to come to Him. 

.... This does not encourage us to go on in our 
careless ways, in our wilful neglect of grace, our dis- 
regard of God. Far from it; His love should warn 
us against sin. It is as the Psalmist says, ' There is 
mercy with Thee; therefore shalt Thou be feared' 

G. E. J. 

THE MEANS OF GRACE. 
Where am I now ? and what my hope ? 
. What can my weakness do ? 
Jesus ! to Thee my soul looks up, 
'Tis Thou must make it new. 

Thine is the work, and Thine alone, 

But shall I idly stand ? 
Shall I the written rule disown, 

And slight my God's command ? 

Wildly shall I from Thee turn back, 

A better path to find; 
Thy holy ordinance forsake, 

And cast Thy words behind ? 



INFIRMITY WEEK. 



477 



Forbid it, gracious Lord, that I 

Should ever learn Thee so ! 
No; let me with Thy word comply, 

If I Thy love would know. 

Suffice for me, that Thou my Lord, 

Hast bid me fast and pray: 
Thy will be done, Thy name adored, 

'Tis only mine t' obey. 

Thou bidd'st me search the sacred leaves, 

And taste the hallowed bread: 
The kind command my soul receives, 

And longs on Thee to feed. 

I trust in Him who stands between 

The Father's w r rath and me: 
Jesus ! Thou great eternal mean, 

I look for all from Thee. C. W. 

The Collect for this day puts us in mind of the 
sad and calamitous estate of life, and therefore 
prays Almighty God for help and defence. The 
Epistle for this day gives us many useful rules to 
be observed in order to that end. Indeed this 
whole chapter, of which this Epistle is a part, con- 
tains many excellent precepts, both divine and 
moral, to direct us in the whole course of our life; 
and therefore the church hath wisely selected tnem, 



478 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTEK EPIPHANY, ETC. 



to be read in three several portions, in the three 
following Sundays after the Epiphany, that, having 
the light, we may be taught how to walk in it. 

... .In conformity with the general tenor of 
his advice, the apostle closes the chapter, and the 
Epistle of the day, with this precept, ' Be not 
overcome,' etc. To be overcome of evil is to be so 
far exasperated by it, as to be moved to return and 
avenge it; which shews it to have got the mastery 
of us, and put us beside our patience. By this a 
man is brought in bondage to his passions, and be- 
comes a slave and vassal to his vile affections; for ' of 
whom a man is overcome, of him he is brought in 
bondage.' 

To overcome evil with good, is to conquer other 
injuries by acts of mercy and kindness, and to re- 
turn nothing but good for the evil that is done to us; 
which shews that we keep the mastery of ourselves, 
and cannot be shocked by the assaults of any ad- 
versaries. Thus ' to overcome evil with good ' is 
the noblest of all victories; ' it is the glory of a man 
(saith Solomon) to pass by an offence;' and 1 he that 
governs his passions, is greater than he that ruleth a 
city.' For these things we cannot propound to our- 
selves a higher and better pattern than that of our 
Saviour, Who overcame the greatest evils with the 
greatest good; and in the end, for enduring the 
Cross, was rewarded witn a crown; and we too, by 



INFIRMITY WEEK. 



479 



patient continuance in well-doing, shall receive 
eternal life. Dr. Hole. Bp. B. 

There will I meet with thee ; and I will commune 
with thee from above the mercy seat. — Ex. xxv. 22. 
From every stormy wind that blows, 
From every swelling tide of woes, 
There is a calm, a sure retreat; 
'Tis found beneath the mercy seat. 

There is a place where Jesus sheds 
The oil of gladness on our heads— 
A place than all beside more sweet. 
It is the blood-stained mercy-seat. 

There is a spot where spirits blend, 
Where friend holds fellowship with friend; 
Though sunder'd far, by faith they meet 
Around one common mercy seat. 

There, there, on eagle's wings we soar, 
And time and sense seem all no more; 
And heaven comes down, our souls to greet, 
And glory crowns the mercy-seat. 

Romans xi. In selecting this chapter to furnish 
the Epistles for the first three Sundays after the 
Epiphany, the Church seems to have had in view 
the manifestation of the pow r er and example of 
Christ, made evident in the lives of those Chris- 



480 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



tians who fashion themselves after the exhortation 
contained therein. It is a call to show forth the 
excellency of the Gospel in the face of the world, 
as Christ Himself was manifested to both Jew and 
Gentile in His incarnation. As, then, Christ by 
His wisdom and might evidenced Himself to be the 
only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, 
so will His true members manifest themselves to be 
the sons of God, who have been adopted into His 
family, by living after the pattern which is given 
them in this chapter. And the lessons given in these 
Epistles for the first three Sundays after the 
Epiphany are not identical, but progressive. On 
the first Sunday after the Epiphany we were ad- 
monished of the fact that, we being many are yet 
but one Body in Christ, and that all we have, all 
gifts and graces, are the effect of God's love and 
mercies. On the second Sunday after the Epiphany 
we were instructed as to our behaviour to the mem- 
bers of Christ's Body, our duty to the Church at 
large. The teaching of this third Sunday is as to 
our conduct towards those that are without, and to 
those who have injured us, our enemies.* 

* Not only are these three Epistles progressive in their les- 
sons of Christian duty, there is also a striking and obvious 
agreement in the teaching of the Gospels and Epistles for these 
three Sundays. In the three Gospels we have (i) the mani- 
festation of Christ in His Father's house; (2) the manifes- 



INFIRMITY WEEK. 



481 



Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him ; if he 
thirst, give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt 
heap coals of fire upon his head. 

To feed and give water to those who need it in- 
cludes, according to the meaning of these words in 
Holy Scripture, all that our enemies require. We 
are not to neglect any offer of mercy which their 
needs may demand. And here let us note that it is 
not barely food but pleasant food (tpaopii^oj), every 
bounty which we can give them for nourishment or 
support, which is here enjoined upon us. It is not 
the passing over in silence the injury done by our 
brother which is sufficient to us, we must meet his 
injuries by acts of kindness. The motive for this 
benevolence and brotherly kindness has been some- 
times strangely misinterpreted. By some this verse 



tation of Christ to those who invite Him to their abode, and 
who are His friends; (3) the manifestation of Christ to sin- 
ners, those who are at enmity with Him, as typified by the 
leper, leprosy being the Scripture emblem of sin in all its 
aspects. So in the Epistles for the first three Sundays after the 
Epiphany we have (r) the way in Which the manifestation of 
Christ's power within the Christian is to be exercised, by the 
presentation of His body as a living sacrifice to God; (2) the 
temper and disposition which we are to manifest towards the 
members of the household of Christ, our friends, the members 
of His mystical Body; (3) the way in which we are to behave 
to our own foes who are the enemies of God, those who have 
been given over to work wickedness. 



482 



THIKD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



has been taken to mean, by your kindness and his 
hard-heartedness his punishment at the hand of 
God will be augmented. This interpretation, how- 
ever, is alien to the whole tenor of these injunctions 
of S. Paul, and can only be made use of by those 
who forget the call which the Apostle has just made, 
that everything be interpreted according to the 
analogy ox proportion of faith. The image by which 
S. Paul adds force to his words is that of an artificer, 
who seeks to melt metals not merely by placing fire 
under them, but by heaping up coals of fire on all 
sides, and so causing the mass of stubborn metal to 
liquify. By coals of fire, then, are meant those 
benefits of which the Apostle has just been speak- 
ing; such acts of love and kindness heaped upon 
our enemy, as will in the end cause him to lay aside 
his enmity, and kindle his heart and enflame him 
with love towards us because of the benefits con- 
ferred on him. W. D. 

KYRIE ELEISON. 
Lord, many times I am aweary quite 

Of mine own self, my sin, my vanity, — 
Yet be not Thou, or I am lost outright, 

Weary of me. 

And hate against myself I often bear, 
And enter with myself in fierce debate; 



INFIRMITY WEEK, 



483 



Take Thou my part against myself, nor share 
In^that just hate ! 

Best friends might loathe us, if what things perverse 
We know of own selves, they also knew; 

Lord, Holy One ! if Thou Who knowest worse 
Shouldst loathe us too ! 

(R. C. Trench) L. A. 

Be not wise in your own conceits. 
Our Blessed Lord, when He came upon earth, 
. . . came to give man with all His higher 
teaching that very love and sympathy for which the 
human heart had been pleading; sometimes in an 
agony and at other times by its very life; for full 
four thousand years. He came to be not only man's 
Teacher and man's Saviour, but also man's Friend 
and Brother. It was because He so well ''knew 
what was in man ' that He became an High-Priest, 
Who was touched with a feeling for our infirmities. 
Men knew that they were not wise in respect to 
themselves; that they were ' wretched and miserable 
and poor and blind and naked.' The Jew gained 
but a scanty comfort from his barren rites, and the 
heathen fell: that all that was best in his creed was 
removed so far away from his daily life and his daily 
needs that philosophy stood him in small stead in 
his time of weakness. It was to those who were 



484 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



not wise in themselves that our dear Lord came 
once in the body in the meekness of wisdom unto 
them; and it is to kindred souls now that by His 
Spirit He ministers of that true wisdom which 
cometh down from above. The earthly teachings of 
our Blessed Lord cut away every form of spiritual 
pride from under man's feet; partly by direct exhor- 
tations to humility, but chiefly and more convinc- 
ingly by setting before men a higher life than they 
had ever conceived of as possible to their condition 
in the world, and by revealing here and there a stray 
ray of a glory that far exceeded all the imaginings 
of the poets or the speculations of philosophers. 

S. E. G. 

i Be not wise in your own conceits' 

There is one part of wisdom in which all ought to 
endeavor to excel— the knowledge of ourselves. It 
calls for our incessant care and attention, and is 
truly the hardest of all lessons; truly to know my- 
self, is, I feel, and sorrowfully must confess, to 
despise myself. I must therefore endeavor to attain 
this self-knowledge, which will be the only way to 
avoid the defect against which S, Paul warns me 
This self-knowledge is not to be had without much, 
frequent, and serious consideration. I must begin 
by considering attentively my extraction and origin; 
what I have been, what I am now. * M. A. 



INFIRMITY WEEK. 



485 



'IF WE SAY WE HAVE NO SIN.' 
E'en when the Holy Spirit hath set fire 

Unto sin's thorny briar, 
Which cumbereth our hearts with dark desire, 

Though day by day 

Its branches fall away 
In ashes, giving God more room 

For His abode within, 

It will not quite consume: 
In heaven alone our lips with truth may say, 

' We have no sin.' 

E. H. 

' Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean /' 
Behold the prostrate form of the leper, panting and 
trembling in the earnestness of his prayer, before 
the divine, meek, majestic, yet lowly form of the 
blessed Jesus ! 

I have here to remark the single, simple, unhesi- 
tating faith of the poor leper. He saw himself a 
miserable diseased creature, loathsome, offensive- 
He comes straight to (Jesus); asks no questions, 
makes no conditions; — saying, ' Lord, if Thou 
wilt, Thou canst make me clean,' — Jesus — answers 
— 'I will; be thou clean.' 

My soul, thou . art sin stained, polluted, leprous; 
Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. 

The leprosy of the body is the great type of sin 



486 



THIliD SUNDAY AFTEE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



■ — that dreadful leprosy of the soul. To cure us of this 
taint did our Lord come in the flesh ; and He it 
was Who consented to be wounded for our trans- 
gressions, and bruised for our iniquities; the chas- 
tisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His 
stripes we are healed. Do we come to him at Bap- 
tism ? behold Jesus stretching forth His hand and 
saying, ' I will; be thou clean/ Do we kneel before 
Him, day by day, and pouring out our soul in con- 
fession, beseech His pardon ? behold Jesus puts 
forth His hand, saying, 'I will; be thou clean/ Do 
I come to Him at the Holy Communion, seeking 
pardon, strength, and grace ? behold Jesus puts 
forth His hand, and says, 4 1 will; be thou 
clean.' . , . 

The leper stood before the Holy Jesus cleansed: 
and no doubt in his transports of joy and gratitude 
was anxious to do some great thing, to testify his 
love to the Merciful Lord Who had dealt so lov- 
ingly with him. But Jesus calmed his raptures by 
saying, ' See thou tell no man/ Perhaps he might 
have been tempted to boasting and vain glory. Our 
Lord desires him not to forget that though He has 
found a Saviour, yet that He is still under the law, 
and must submit to the ordinances by going to the 
priest, (&c). 

' See thou tell no man.' How am I to understand 
this, but as a command not to be given to speak too 



INFIRMITY WEEK. 



487 



freely on the concerns of my soul, lest I be tempted 
to vain-glorious boasting. . . . * 

In another place, our Lord commands him who 
has been healed, to i go and tell His friends what 
great things God had done for him.' And this 
shews that an opposite extreme must be avoided— 
to our friends we may open our heart; and tell what 
great things God has done for us. Our Blessed 
Lord may have had a two-fold reason for desiring 
the man to show himself to the priest: He may have 
desired to give the priest an opportunity of being 
converted, by witnessing the miracle which He had 
performed: He may have wished to leave no part of 
the law unfulfilled, so that no room might be left to 
His enemies to blaspheme. 

I must in this history remark the manner in which 
our Lord suppressed the enthusiasm of the leper. 
.... I may infer that when a soul has been 
cleansed from sin, and when feelings of the liveliest 
gratitude and love to God are uppermost in the 
mind, the temptation is to endeavor to serve Him 
with an overheated zeal, instead of going on 
earnestly and steadily in the path directly pointed 
out by God's providence, by quelling the tempest- 
urous emotions of the heart and by doing God's 
will in fulfilling the letter of the law, leaving this 
higher state of fervour and rapture, until the soul 
has proceeded, after its cleansing to show the 



488 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPDPHANT, ETC. 



efficiency of its cure by steady continuance in well 
doing 

Lord 1 am not worthy that Thou shouldst come 
wider my roof: hit speak the word only and my ser- 
vant shall be healed ; .... Go thy way; and 
as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee, and his 
servant was healed in the self -same hour. 

I see in this history much and affecting instruction, 
on which I would profitably meditate. Know ye not 
that ye are the temples of God ? so saith the apostle. 
I know that at baptism I was washed and cleansed, 
and made fit to be the temple of the Holy Ghost. 
But in examining myself, I find that I have in many 

ways defiled that holy temple I must, 

however, sift well and see which of my senses— 
those servants which, like the centurion's, I make 
obedient to my will — which of these have become 
palsied by sin, and then I must go straight to Jesus. 
. . . . My soul, it is in the sacrament of the 
holy Body and the precious Blood of thy Lord, 
that He especially approaches thee. If thou draw 
near in humility and faith. He will give Himself to 
thee. 

For the weariest day 
May Christ be thy stay; 
For the darkest night 
May Christ be thy light; 



INFIRMITY WEEK, 



489 



For the weakest hour 
May Christ be thy Power; 
For each moment's fall 
May Christ be thy all. 

F. R. H. 

There is a mystery about the disease (leprosy) 
which has not been explained in Holy Scripture, 
and which there is little likelihood of being ex- 
plained otherwise. It was regarded by the Jews 
with awe, as a disease Divinely appropriated as a 
means of punishment, and three instances of its 
instantaneous attack in association with especial 
sins are given in the Old Testament, which show 
their opinion w r as well founded. Miriam was thus 
punished for rebellion (Num. xii. 10), Gehazi for 
receiving gifts in return for a miracle wrought by 
God (2 Kings v. 27), and King Uzziah for sacrilege 
(2 Kings xv. 5). And as the disease thus came on 
instantaneously in its completeness by the act of God, 
so it was removed in the same manner in the cases 
of Miriam and Naaman, the necessity of a Divine 
act for the cure being recognized by the words of 
Moses when he prayed, ' Heal her now, O God, I 
beseech Thee' (Num. xii. 13), and of the King of 
Israel when he exclaimed, 6 Am I God, to kill and 
make alive, that this man doth send unto me to re- 
cover a man of his leprosy? ' (2 Kings v. 7.) 



490 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Thus leprosy was not dealt with as an ordinary 
disease, but special provisions were made respecting 
it in the Divine Law given to the Jews. Any per- 
son supposed to be afflicted with it was inspected by 
the priest — ' brought unto Aaron the priest, or one 
of his sons the priests '—and if according to the 
rules given by God, it was determined that 6 the 
plague of the leprosy was upon him,' then ' his 
clothes shall be rent, and his head bare, and he shall 
put a covering upon his upper lip, and shall cry, 
Unclean, unclean. .... He shall dwell alone with- 
out the camp shall his habitation be ' (Lev. xiii. 
2, 45, 46). Thus even King Uzziah was compelled 
to dwell ' in a several house,' and was not permitted 
to act as sovereign when he became a leper (2 
Kings xv. 5). If, however, in God's mercy the 
plague of leprosy was removed from the leper, ' he 
was brought to the priest, to be inspected by him 
again:' special rules of inspection were to be ob- 
served 6 in the day of his cleansing,' and three 
special sacrifices were to be offered as a trespass 
offering, a sin offering, and a burnt offering, as a 
recognition that the cure was wrought by the Hand 
of God alone. This special character of leprosy, 
and the special associations connected with it have 
always been considered to mark it as a type of sin, 
which God only can pardon. 

A. B. 



IXTTRIMITT "WEEK. 



491 



The leprosy of sin is inherent in human nature. 
What, indeed, is original sin but this ? What is the 
doctrine of original sin, but an averment of the 
fact, that we, one by one, came into the world spir- 
itual lepers 

Let us look closer upon this subject. We are 
taught that - in Adam all die' (I Cor. xv. 22); that 
man is born in original sin, a spiritual leper: we are 
taught, also, that ' in Christ all are made alive.' 
If we are taught that by 'one man's disobedience 
many were made sinners ' (Rom. v. 19); we are also 
taught that ' by the obedience of one many are 
made righteous.' We are told that there is a Name, 
even the Name of the Lord Jesus, in Whom and 
through Whom, they who are in a state of condemna- 
tion may be rescued therefrom; there is His Name, 
but there is none other; He, and He only, is the 
Way, the Truth, and the Life ' (L John xiv. 6); He, 
and He only, is the living and true Way. He gave 
Himself for us, ' that He might redeem us from all 
iniquity ' (Tit. ii. 14) He suffered, ' the Just for 
the unjust ' (I Pet iii. 18), so that in Him we might 
have redemption. To us, born in original sin, ' God 
hath given eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 
He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not 
the Son of God hath not life (I John v. 11, 12). 

The first question then, that a believer asks with 
respect to his child is this: May I bring my little 



492 



THIBD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



one, born in the leprosy of original sin, to Christ, 
so that my child may have the Son of God, and be 
cleansed from his impurity ? And the answer from 
our all-merciful Saviour is, 'Suffer little children 
to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such 
is the kingdom of God ' (Mark x. 14). 

This question answered, another arises. How 
are we to bring unconscious infants to Christ ? 
They have not knowledge, they have not faith; how 
are they to be brought? Now, every Christian be- 
lieves that there is ' one Baptism for the remission 
of sins.' This is an article of the Creed. But as 
there is none other Saviour save the Lord Jesus 
Christ, remission of sins is conferred through Bap- 
tism, only by uniting us with Him. So saith the 
Holy Ghost: f As many as have been baptized into 
Christ, have put on Christ ' (Gal. iii. 27). It is in 
this manner, as S. Peier teaches us, that 'Baptism 
doth now save us' (I Pet. iii. 21); and our children 
are taught in the Catechism to believe, that the in- 
ward and spiritual grace of Baptism is ' a death 
unto sin, and a new birth unto righteousness; for, 
being bv nature born in sin, and the children of 
wrath, we are hereby made the children of grace.' 

Now, when we have accepted these two important 
doctrines, we approach not the Scriptures to look 
for a co7iimand, but to ascertain whether we are per- 
7?iitted to baptize our infants. Our child is a spir- 



INFIRMITY "WEEK. 



493 



itual leper; he is born in original sin; we must 
bring him to Christ to be healed. .... The 
question with us is not, Does the Scripture co?nmand 
Infant Baptism ? but. Infant Baptism being the 
necessary result from the reception of the doctrines 
of original sin, and of regenerating grace in Bap- 
tism; does the Scripture forbid my doing what I 
otherwise should do as a matter of course ? And 
when thus prepared by faith, we approach the Scrip- 
tures, nothing can be more satisfactory than their 
testimony. We are informed that, when the Jews 
baptized their proselytes, the infants of the prose- 
lytes ' household were admitted to the rite; if then, 
when our Lord instituted the sacrament of Baptism, 
He intended to exclude infants, He would have 
especially referred to their exclusion; since, other- 
wise, they whom He addressed would understand 
Him when directing them to baptize nations, to 
commission them to do as the Jews were accustomed 
to do, when baptizing households; that is, to admin- 
ister the sacrament to infants as well as to adults. 

So does Infant Baptism bear a silent, but unan- 
swerable testimony to the Church's faith in original 
sin; and so does the doctrine of original sin lead to 
Infant Baptism. 

But alas ! though cleansed from the pollution of 
original sin, the leprosy of sin may again be con- 
tracted. By actual and wilful sin, men fall from 



494 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



the grace once given to them; and a leprosy worse 
than that of Naaman's cleaves unto them . . . . 
but . . . . Jesus Christ is ' the same yesterday, 
and to-day, and forever/ 

Come in deep repentance unto Him; say, 'I re- 
pent; Lord, increase my penitence/ Confess to 
Him all your sins; open to Him all your griefs. 
Come to Him and say in earnest faith, ' Lord, if 
Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean/ Continue 
in prayer, struggle in prayer, until an answer be re- 
turned. Pray, till Christ by His Spirit speaketh 
to your inmost soul, saying, ' I will; be thou clean/ 

W. F. H. 

Leprosy . • . . . is a type of sin — 

(1) Because of its hereditary character. It is a 
disease communicated from* father to son. 

(2) Because of its destructive nature. It eats up 
the strength of the body as sin destroys the energy 
of the soul. 

(3) Because of its loathesomeness. It makes the 
leper to be an abomination to his fellows, as sin de- 
grades and makes a man an offence to his fellow- 
men. 

(4 ) Because it separates the diseased one from 
the company of others, as sin separates a man from 
his fellow-men, by producing selfishness and de- 
stroying sympathy. 



INFIRMITY WEEK. 



495 



(5) Because it sets its mark on the body, as sin sets 
its stamp on the actions and thoughts of the soul. 

(6) Because leprosy is diffused over the whole 
body, thus differing from so many other diseases 
which are confined to one part; thus does sin gradu- 
ally steal over the entire soul, and depraves the 
whole moral nature of man. 

(7) Because it is rarely cured ; just as habits of 
sin are rarely overcome by the sinner. 

And as this leper (whom the law separated from 
others, thus convicting him of pollution, though it 
could not cure him) came to Christ, so must every 
sinner come, not by means of the deeds of the law, 
but as to One Who is above all law, and can effect, 
of His free grace, that which the law cannot do. 

W. D. 

The following Heads of Meditations (with com- 
ments here omitted) have been given on the Gospel. 

THE STATE OF THE LEPER. 

1. Leprosy was an evil which was horrible in itself. 

2. Leprosy was a disease contagious to others. 

3. Leprosy was an evil less fatal in its contagion 
than sin. 1. In that the leprous man, in communicat- 
ing his evil, did not increase his own, whilst all the 
stains of sin which we occasion in others become so 
many fresh stains on our souls ; 2. that while the 
leprous man did not increase his malady by holding 



496 



THIED SUNDAY AFTEB EPIPHANY, ETC. 



communication with other lepers, in the case of sin, 
however defiled we may be already ourselves, we be- 
come still more so every day by partaking in the de- 
filements of others. 

4. Leprosy is a disease humiliating to him who was 
afflicted with it, since it excluded him from all inter- 
course with other men. 

The proceedings of the leper. 

1. The leper sees Jesus. 

2. The leper goes to Jesus. 

3. The leper worships Jesus. 

4. The leper prays to Jesus. 
Healing the leper. 

1. The feelings of Jesus. 

2. The action of Jesus. 

3. The words of Jesus. 

4. The miracle which Jesus works. 

Of that which took place after the healing of the 
leper. 

1. Subordination and obedience of Jescjs Christ 
to the law. 

2. Modesty of Jesus Christ, and the pains He 
took to avoid praise.* 

* The leper is charged to tell no one. And why so ? Our Lord 
gave him this caution for some wise reason. Perhaps because, if 
the miracle should be much spoken of, either His own safety 
just at that time, or the safety of the cured man, might be 
endangered ; for it was not an occasion like that mentioned in 



infirmity wisjek. 



497 



Words of the centurion to Jesus. 

1. Full of charity. 

2. The words of the centurion full of trust in the 
goodness of Jesus Christ. 

3. The words of the centurion full of humility. 

4. The words of the centurion full of faith in the 
power of Jesus. 

Words of Jesus to the by-standers. 

1. Full of commendation of the centurion, 

2. The words of Jesus full of comfort for the 
Gentiles. 

3. The words of Jesus full of terror for the Jews. 

4. The words of Jesus Christ full of threats to 
bad Christians. 

Words of Jesus Christ to the centurion. 

1. Words of Jesus Christ full of goodness. 

2. Words of Jesus full of power. 

3. Words of Jesus full of condescension. 

4. Words of Jesus full of instruction. 

L, A. D. 

And Jesus put forth His Hand, &c. Touched 

the Gospel for last Sunday, when Jesus specially desired to 
4 Manifest forth His glory.' Or perhaps our Lord only meant 
to caution the leper to say nothing about his cure until he had 
been to the priest, and received his authority to join the con- 
gregation ; lest if he heard of Jesus having wrought the mira- 
cle, he should withhold his testimony out of mere jealousy. 

A. O, 



498 



THIP.D SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Aim, that He might show that He was above the law, 
which forbade contact with the leper. The law for- 
bade this touching from fear of contagion. But 
there was no danger of such contagion in Christ's 
case, but rather the certainty of healing the leper.. 
When, therefore Christ touched the leper, He did 
not do it as against the law, but rather as fulfilling the 
spirit of the law. 

2. He touched him out of kindness that He might 
show His love for the leper. 

3. He touched him, says S. Cryril, that the saving 
efficacy of the flesh of Christ might be made mani- 
fest. Whence Victor of Antioch, on S. Mark 
(Chapter 1), says 'The Word willing to show 
forth its indivisble union with the Flesh wrought 
many miracles and signs through the ministry of 
the body.' And Bede says, ' God stretched forth 
His Hand, and touched human nature by His incar- 
nation, and brought back to the Temple those who 
were cast out of the camp of the people of God 
(the lepers), that they might offer their bodies a 
a living sacrifice to Himself to whom it is said, 
' Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Mel- 
chisedech.' / will; be thou clean. From these 
words the Fathers prove the Divinity of Christ, 
and His Omnipotence. Maldonatus cites them at 
length. Thus S. Ambrose: 'He Saith, I will, 
because of Photinus, He commands on account of 



INFIRMITY "WEEK. 



499 



Arius, He touches on account of Manichaeus.' 
For Photinus thought that Christ was a mere 
man and not God, whose attribute is an almighty 
will, by which he says, I will, be thou clean. Arius 
taught that Christ was inferior to the Father, and, 
therefore, did not Himself command, but received 
the Father's commandments. Manichaeus taught 
that Christ had not real flesh, but only in appear- 
ance, such as could not in reality touch or be 
touched. C. A. L. 

To have touched him, (the leper) was in the eyes 
of a Jew, to have made Himself unclean, but he had 
come to break through the deadly externalism that 
had taken the place of true religion, and could have 
shown no more strikingly how He looked on mere 
Rabbinical precepts than by making a touch which, 
till then had entailed the worst uncleanness, the 
means of cleansing. Slight though it seemed, the 
touch of the leper was the proclamation that Judaism 
was abrogated henceforth. 

The popular excitement had already extended 
widely, and a cure like this was certain to raise 
it still higher. With the Baptist in prison on a pre- 
tended political charge, and the people full of polit- 
ical dreams in connection with the expected Messiah, 
all that might fan the flame was to be dreaded. Ex- 
citement, moreover^ was unfavorable to the great 



500 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



work of Jesus. He needed a thoughtful calm in the 
mind, for lasting effects. The Kingdom of God 
which he proclaimed was no mere appeal to the feel- 
ings, but sought the understanding and heart. Turn- 
ing to the newly cured, therefore, He spoke earn- 
estly to him, not to tell any one what had happened, 
threatening him with His anger if he should disobey. 
' Go to Jerusalem,' said He, 'and shew yourself to 
the priest; and make the offerings for your cleans- 
ing, required by the Law, as a proof to your neigh- 
bours, to the priests, the scribes, and the people at 
large, that you are really clean.'* 

A certificate of the recovery of a leper could only 
be given at Jerusalem, by a priest. After a length- 
ened examination, and tedious rites It will 

illustrate the ■ bondage ' of the ceremonial law, as 
then in force, to describe them. With his heart full 

* There were divers reasons why Christ should send him to 
the Priest. First, for humility's sake, that He might show rev- 
erence to God's Priest. Then there was a command in the 
Law that they who were cleansed of leprosy should make an 
offering to the Priests. Moreover, that, when the the Priests 
saw the leper cleansed, they might either believe in the 
Saviour, or refuse to believe ; if they believed, that they might 
be saved, and, if they believed not, that they might have no ex- 
cuse. Lastly that he might give no ground for the accusa- 
tion that was so often brought against Him, that He was unob- 
servant of the law. R. B. 



rSTTRMITY WEEK. 



501 



of the first joy . of a cure so amazing, for no one 
had ever heard of the recovery of a man ' full 
of leprosy,' (S. Luke v. 12.) he set off to the 
temple for the requisite papers to authorize his 
return, once more, to the roll of Israel. A 
tent had to be pitched outside the city, and in this 
the priest examined the leper, cutting off all his hair 
with the utmost care, for if only two hairs were left, 
the ceremony was invalid. Two sparrows had to be 
brought at this first stage of the cleansing ; the one, 
to be killed over a small earthen pan of water, into 
which its blood must drop ; the other, after being 
sprinkled with the blood of its mate — a cedar twig, 
to which scarlet wool and a piece of hyssop was 
bound, being used to do so, — was let free in such a 
direction that it should fly to the open country. 
After the scrutiny by the priest, the leper put on 
clean clothes, and carried away those he had worn 
to a running stream, to wash them thoroughly and 
to cleanse himself by a bath. He could now enter the 
city, but for seven days more could not enter his own. 
house. On the eighth after, he once more submitted 
to the scissois of the priest, who cut off whatever 
hair might have grown in the interval. Then followed 
a second bath, and now he had only carefully to avoid 
any defilement so as to be fit to attend in the temple 
next morning, and complete his cleansing. The 
first step in this final purification was to offer three 



502 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



lambs, two males and a female, none of which must 
be under a year old. Standing at the outer edge of 
the court of the men, which he was riot yet worthy 
to enter, the leper waited the longed-for rites. These 
began by the priest taking one of the lambs destined 
to be slain as an atonement for the leper, and lead-, 
ing it to each point of the compass in turn, and by 
his swinging a vessel of oil on all sides, in the same 
way, as if to present both to the universally present 
God. He then led the lamb to the leper, who laid 
his hands on its head, and gave it over as a sacrifice 
for his guilt, which he now confessed. It was forth- 
with killed at the north side of the altar, two priests 
catching its blood, the one in a vessel, the other in 
his hand. The first now sprinkled the altar with 
the blood, while the other went to the leper and 
anointed his ears, his right thumb, and his right toe 
with it. The one priest then poured some oil of 
the leper's offering into the left hand of the other, 
who, in his turn, dipped his finger seven times into 
the oil thus held, and sprinkled it as often towards 
the Holy of Holies. Each part of the leper which 
before had been touched with the blood, was then 
further anointed with oil, what remained being 
stroked on his head. 

The leper could now enter the men's court, and 
did so, passing through it to that of the priests. 
The female lamb was next killed as a sin-offering 



INFIEMITT WEEK. 



503 



after he had put his hands on its head, part of its 
blood being smeared on the horns of the altar, while 
the rest was poured out at the altar base. The 
other male lamb was then slain for a burnt sacrifice; 
the leper once more laying his hands on its head, and 
the priest sprinkling the blood on the altar. The fat, 
and all that was fit for an offering, was now laid on 
the altar, and burned as a i sweet smelling savour 
to God.' A meat offering of fine wheat meal and oil 
ended the whole; a portion being laid on the altar, 
while the rest, with the two lambs, of which only a 
small part had been burned, formed the dues of the 
priests. It was not till all this had been done that 
the full ceremony of cleansing, or showing himself 
to the priest, had been carried out, and that the 
cheering words, ' Thou art pure,' restored the suf- 
ferer once more to the rights of citizenship,, and in- 
tercourse with men. L. W. C, 

The Gospel .... records the manifestation 
of Christ by miraculous power over disease, how 
by a touch in the case of leprosy (v. 3.), and a 
word in the case of palsy (v. 13.), He recovered pa- 
tients from those maladies. Now in [he very chap- 
ter from which the Gospel is taken (S. Matt, viii.) 
these and similar maladies are expressly called 1 in- 
firmities ' in a passage which is cited by the 
Evangelist from the prophet Isaiah; He cast out the 



504 



THIED SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



spirits with His word, and healed all that were sick: 
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by 
Isaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmi- 
ties, and bore our sicknesses (vs. 16, 17). A signifi- 
cant passage truly, because it so truly and emphatic- 
ally brings before us the truth that our infirmities 
and sicknesses could not have been removed with- 
out being taken and borne; that there could have 
been no healing for man, had not Christ taken our 
flesh, which is weak, and been i crucified through 
weakness 5 (see 2 Cor. xiii. 4), and thus borne i our 
sins in His Own Body on the Tree.' (See I Pet. 
ii. 24.) 

And this observation may help to explain to us 
the class of ' infirmities ' which is meant, when 
Almighty God is besought ' mercifully ' to look upon 
our % infirmities.' The infirmities which Christ took 
were not moral or spiritual infirmities, but simply 
the results of these. He bore all the consequences 
of sin, but took neither our sin, nor our sins. Not 
only did He never do a sinful act, but He had not 
a sinful nature. But all those weaknesses of the 
flesh which, though not themselves sinful, came in 
the trail of the fall (just as a bodily fall sometimes 
entails broken limbs or injury to the spine, and may 
result in a lifelong weakness), all these He did take, 
and underwent them as a Representative. 

E. M. G. 



INFIRMITY WEEK. 



505 



(In) the Gospel, .... in Christ, preaching 
and practice meet together. So soon as He said 
well, He proceeds for the confirmation of His doc- 
trine to do well 

The leper was a Jew, the centurion a Gentile; 
the leper poor, the centurion rich; the leper a man 
of peace, the centurion a man of war, Insinuating 
hereby, that God is no accepter of persons; but 
that His benefits indifferently belong to men of all 
nations, and all fashions. 

' In Christ then is neither Jew nor Grecian, 
neither bond nor free.' Yet Christ did first cure 
the Jew, then the Gentile. For salvation was offered 
first to the Jews; He touched the Jew, but cured 
the Gentile with His word. He visited Jerusalem 
in His Own Person, but healed other nations by the 
preachers of His Gospel. J. B. 

The Centurion was moved to ... . interces- 
sion because he loved his servant. But we are 
commanded to love all men as we love ourselves. 
We are taught to regard all men as our brethren. A 
relation is here announced to us by our common 
Father and Lord, which the Centurion may not 
have understood, He may have acted on lower 
views. But it is impossible for us, who have been 
enlightened by the divine Word, to overlook the 
universal brotherhood of mankind. We are bound 



506 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



by the common ties of our nature, as well as by the 
command of God, to seek the welfare of all men, 
Moth spiritual and temporal, in every possible way. 
ve are bound always to ' make prayers and inter- 
. ssions for all men.' When we pray we are en- 
joyed to intercede for all men by staying, ' Thy 
kingdom come.' .... It is really startling to 
think hew imperfectly the Church has fulfilled 
the parting ^junction of her Divine Lord. ' Go, 
teach all nations,' was the commission and the com- 
mand; and how has it been fulfilled? .... 

It is not enough to give a certain sum of money 
annually to the cause of missions, for the quieting 
of our conscience, and there to let the matter rest, 
to think no more of the subject The mis- 
sionary is our representative, doing our work, in 
which duty will never allow us to cease to feel a deep 
interest; and (we are to) strengthen it with our 
prayers and our faith. We have indeed given our 
money, but our prayers may be worth more than our 
gold. Our constant sympathy, our ever-active faith, 
may be infinitely more valuable and more effectual in 
furthering the propagation of the Gospel among the 
heathen, than our largest contributions to the mis- 
sionary treasury. T. C. S. 

(The) heathen centurion drew down by his faith 
the praises of the Sox of God. God hears by de« 



INFIRMITY WEEK. 



507 



laying to hear. He never hears more deeply than 
when He delays to hear. He delays only, in order 
to repay with usury. He delays only, in order to 
draw out of the inmost soul yet deeper longings, that 
He may satisfy them. He would but increase our 
hunger and thirst, that He may fill us with Himself. 
God is not poor and powerless, that He cannot give. 
But He giveth us as we are able to bear; He givelh 
us as a tender father giveth to his tender children. 
He giveth them not what will hurt them, giveth 
them not as will hurt them. This is the tiial of our 
faith. Our whole life is a trial of faith. 

D. G. S. L. 

1 Jesus — marvelled' When we consider the 
heathen, cut off from the light of revelation, we 
may well marvel that there are to many virtues in 
them, that there is so much sobriety, goodness of 
heart, love of truth, and sense of honour. 

When we consider those Christians who are sepa- 
rate from the Church we may well marvel that, cut off 
from the life-giving Sacraments, there is in them so 
muc h spirituality, such an earnest piety 5 such love 
of God. 

But mostly must we marvel with Christ— at those 
who, knowing the way of God, withm the fold of 
the Church, well instructed, with the Sacraments ac- 
cessible for the strengthening and refreshing of 



508 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



their souls, show no signs of spiritual life, no earnest- 
ness in their profession, no zeal for the glory of God. 

S. B. G, 

I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel; 
and I say unto you, that many shall come from the 
East and West, and shall sit down with Abraham, 
and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of Heaven, but 
the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer 
darkness. 

We cannot explain the principle upon which God 
makes choice of particular races, or of particular 
individuals, for the enjoyment of advantages which 
are apparently withheld from others. That He 
does so, in the case of races, is evident even to the 
most careless student of history: in the case of in- 
dividuals, to every one who will look round upon 
the condition of the inhabitants of his own neigh- 
borhood. The contrasts that meet the eye or 
thought are painful; and to those who have regarded 
the life of men, only so far as it is included between 
the cradle and the grave, they have even suggested 
doubts of the justice of God's Providence. But no 
cuch doubts distract the mind of him who looks be- 
yond, and regards this life, not as the whole, but as 
a portion only of man's existence, and, indeed as 
the portion which forms his probation for the much 
more important portion of it, which at present is 
unseen. 



INFIRMITY WEEK. 



509 



The inequalities of which I speak were visible 
enough in the Galilean town of Capernaum. Two 
races there stood face to face: the Romans favored 
with the enjoyment of power, were disposed to look 
down upon the natives of the country as vastly in- 
ferior to themselves; the Jews, on the other hand, 
conquered as they were, and held in political sub- 
jection, regarded with no less contempt their recent 
masters, whom they stigmatized by the name of 
Gentiles or strangers, while they claimed for them- 
selves the honor of being God's peculiar people. 

Now, in fact, the political power of the one, and 
the religious privileges of the other nation, were 
both talents, to be used for the honour of God and 
the good of the* ; r fellow men; and if the advantages 
have now been forfeited by both races, we may well 
believe that one reason of the forfeiture has been 
that, in neither case were they faithfully applied. If 
it were asked, which were the more unfaithful, the 
Romans or the Jews, we can hardly venture to pro- 
nounce. But we are rather disposed to give the pref- 
erence to the Romans, and to say that, during the 
continuance of their power, they did more for the 
world's civilization and material improvement, than 
the Jews, during the much longer continuance of 
their privileges, for its religious training. One great 
work the Jews accomplished, in preserving the 
written Oracles of God, and unconsciously prepared 



510 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



the world for that Saviour Whom they would not 
own when in due time He appeared. But this work 
they did, not as a matter of duty, but under the 
unperceived guidance of God's Providence. They 
were, to use the ancient comparison, like the ass 
that carried the gold, the means of benefiting 
others by that which did not benefit themselves. 
And therefore is it, to use the metaphorical language 
of our Saviour, that men from the East and West 
have been admitted to the enjoyment of their privi- 
leges; while they, though children of the kingdom, 
and invited, therefore, to an honoured place at the 
royal feast, have been cast into the outer darkness 
which surrounds the brilliantly lighted banquet 
hall 

But let us remember that the character of a nation 
depends upon the character of its citizens, and con- 
sider whether our own conduct has been such as 
becomes those, whose privilege it is to have been 
enrolled in the city of God. Have we valued 
prayer, as that centurion did, who built a house of 
prayer for the God of Israel ? Have we, in par- 
ticular, if our means enable us to do so, assisted in 
the erection of houses of prayer, in our own coun- 
try, or like the centurion, for alien races also ? If 
opportunity for such works is not presented in our 
own neighborhood, have we assisted good societies, 
in conjunction with the contributions of others, for 



INFIRMITY WEEK. 



511 



such pious purposes ? If we have been in trial and 
in trouble, have we come to Christ as that Cen- 
turion did ? If any belonging to us have been sick 
or in adversity, have we pleaded for them in all 
humility, like that Centurion, not with that claim of 
worthiness which the Jewish Elders ignorantly urged 
in his behalf. 

The same Hand, which drew the picture of Dives 
and Lazarus in another state of existence (S. Luke 
xvi. 23), has given in the text a very similar picture. 
It was primarily intended to humble our Lord's 
immediate hearers, by displaying to them the hap- 
piness of faithful Gentiles, contrasted with the pun- 
ishment of unfaithful Israelites ? May it not read 
us a similar lesson ? May we not sadly contemplate 
the possibility of citizens of a Christian land like 
ours, having no place of the Kingdom of Christ 
above ? May we not at the same time picture to our- 
selves the children of those less favored races to 
whom we are now sending missions, honoured with 
a place at the side of Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, 
Martyrs, and Confessors? God grant that the 
warning thus conveyed may not be without effect ! 

S. E G. 

' / have not found so great faith, no, not in 
Israel.' 

Hear the warning which Christ gives in conse- 



612 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC, 



quence; ' 1 say unto you that many shall come from 
the East and West, and shall sit down with Abraham 
and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 
But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out 
into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and 
gnashing of teeth.' 

This warning was addressed by the Saviour to 
the Jews around Him. But it comes home to our- 
selves. They were the children of the kingdom 
then. They were the people of God. And just 
what they were formerly we are now. We, Chris- 
tians, are the children of the kingdom. We are 
Christ's people 

But as high as our standing is, it will not ensure 
us our salvation. Some poor heathen may have a 
more earnest desire to be saved than we have; he 
may, with all his disadvantages, know something of 
Christ, and long to know more, whilst we may be 
resting on a mere outward acquaintance with Him. 
Many in this Christian land, many who have been bap- 
tized in the Christian Church, will be shut out here- 
after; and many a heathen, who has only just heard 
of the Saviour, may come to Him with a penitent 
and believing heart, and find mercy. A. O. 

Infirm ! Infirm ! This must be our cry as we 
look on human nature with the eyes of revealed 
truth, as manifested in ourselves. At the best, to 



INFLRMITY WEEK. 



513 



be free agents, as were Adam and Eve, we could 
only depend on safety in God. Man's best 
estate having become subjected to sin in the fall of 
our first parents, human nature has since become 
infinitely more than doubly infirm. Disease and 
actual inability have fastened themselves upon us, 
and become supreme in the vastly uneven balance 
of power left to fallen man. Nothing can now re= 
store us but the restoration of man. This he is 
totally unable, of himself, to accomplish. His in- 
firmities, dangers, and necessities are all too great. 
Its accomplishment after man had fallen was closed 
in every avenue except one which was to be opened 
by a power superior to man — a power to be found no- 
where else except in God — that which could and 
would restore man in a second Adam, through Whom 
the first Adam would be more than supplanted by 
the closer union of God and man through the In- 
carnation. This was accomplished in the GoD-man 
— the "Word made flesh" — " by taking the Man- 
hood into God; " and so opening and imparting to 
man by His surpassing work and touch in this new 
creation cleanliness and strength. By the grace of 
the Holy Spirit man is thus now backed by the 
power of God, and taught that his only hope and 
chance is in the manifested love and power of God 
the Father in the Person of His only-begotten Son 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Even now it is only by 



514 



THIED SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



the improvement of our acceptance in Jesus that 
we can most thoroughly overcome our infirmities 
with good. Hence the importance of learning, as 
the Epistle suggests, not to be wise in our " own 
conceits," of loving our neighbors all we can, and 
generally overcoming " evil with good.'' 

C. F. H. 

The human heart faints through delay; some" 
prayers God hears, some He hears not; How shall 
we know whether ours be such prayers as He hears ? 
God hears not the prayers of those who will go on 
in sin. God hears net our prayers if we pray for 
what will hurt us or will not further our salvation; 
(as when S. Paul prayed for the removal of the 
thorn in the flesh although He loved him) or if we 
pray with a double heart; God hears, not self satis-' 
fied prayers, or if we pray with lukewarm hearts, or 
if we have pleasure in evil thoughts, or cherish 
anger against another, or secret grudges or hard 
thoughts and words towards one who has wronged 
us, God then in mercy hears not, that we seeing in 
ourselves what hinders our prayers and His grace, 
may by His grace become such as He will hear. 

Then like the leper stand and pray aloof ; 
Like the Centurion deem thyself unmeet; 
Like her of Canaan bowed to His reproof, 



IXFIKM1TY WEEE. 



515 



Unworthy of the children's bread to eat; 

Choose like the accepted guest the lowest seat; 

Like the sad publican cast down thine eyes, 

And on thy guilty breast in sorrow beat; 

Come as one glad a servant's place to prize, 

And as His long-lost Son He will to meet thee rise. 

Still urge thy quest like that meek Canaanite. 

As Bartimaeus blind dare not to plead; 

Knock at the door throughout the livelong night, 

Till He within shall answer all thy need; 

Cry as the widow till the Judge gives heed; 

He hears thy prayer though seeming not to hear, 

Counts all the words which from thy heart proceed, 

To give thee more according to thy fear. 

And when He seems afar, 'tis then He is most near. 

D. G. S. L. 

THE STORY OF ASA. 
In the chronicles of the Jewish Kings there is 
written the story of Asa. He was the son of 
Abijah the grandson of Solomon, and he reigned in 
Jerusalem on the throne of David. The rebellion 
of Jereboam had deprived the children of the ten 
tribes, and the two which had remained loyal and 
true, Judah and Benjamin, were left a weak and 
scanty remnant, to withstand the attacks of the sur- 
rounding nations of fierce robbers and revengeful 
men. 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



King Asa had seen and heard enough to know 
that only in the might of the Lord could his throne 
be established 

Close under the walls of Jerusalem, within sight 
of the glories of Solomon's temple, the guilty 
Hebrews had planted groves, and had reared idols, 
and built altars for the worship of Baal and Astor- 
oth, those false Gods worshipped by the heathen 
around. .... 

But Asa was resolved it should be so no more. 
The record is left that the King's - heart was perfect 
with the Lord;' it was no mere form of religion 
with him, he did not offer an insincere and divided 
heart, nor purge his kingdom for the sake of out- 
ward decency and order; he loved the pure and 
holy law of Jehovah, and he resolved that, as far as 
he could command, his people should love and obey 
it too. 

His grandmother, the widow of Rehoboam, was 
an honored personage in his court. She, probably, 
had had much to do with the training of Asa, but 
she was an idolatress; she had built a temple, and 
planted a grove about it, after the manner of the vile 
worship of the children of Moab and Amnion. All 
the natural love and respect which Asa must have 
felt for her did not restrain him from doing to her 
false gods that which he had done to those of the 
humblest of the people. He tore down her temple, 



INFTRMITY "WEEK. 



517 



uprooted her sacred grove, and carrying her idol 
down to the river side, he stamped upon it, and 
burnt it with fire, scattering the ashes upon the 
water and to the four winds of heaven. 

There was peace in the land of Judah. And Asa 
said: — 'Let us build walled cities, and make strong 
our towers, and gates, and bars; this quietness and 
rest is a blessing from God, but we know not how 
long it may last; the time of rest from war must not 
be a time of idleness. Let us be up and doing ! ' 

So they built their fortresses, burnished their tar- 
gets, and made sharp their spears; and this they did 
for the whole ten years the peace lasted. 

Then Zerah, the chieftain of the Ethiopians, see- 
ing the prosperity of the land of Judah, gathered 
together his forces and marched upon Jerusalem. 
His army numbered a 6 thousand thousand,' and he 
had chariots and horsemen. These Ethiopians were 
a wild savage people, their dusky skin showing in 
startling contrast beneath their white garments, and 
their glittering armour of steel and brass. 

The soldiers of Judah numbered hardly the half of 
their foes, and against the chariots they could only 
send out simple spearmen and archers. Yet they 
had a mighty aid on their side, stronger than the 
might of arms, and more to be relied on than even 
the courage of brave hearts defending their homes — 
The Aid of God. 



518 



THTRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



King Asa marched from Jerusalem to meet the 
enemy, and as he descended into the valley of 
Zephathah he saw the full strength of the foe. He 
did not feel afraid; he had sought the Lord in the 
time of his prosperity, and he knew that now he was 
in the need of God He would not withdraw His 
help from him and from his people. 

The battle was set in array, army against army; 
the weak against the strong; the worshippers of 
God against the idolatrous children of the South. 

Then the King stepped forward, and in the face 
of his soldiers offered up this prayer: — ' Lord, it is 
nothing for Thee to help, whether with many, or 
with them that have no power: help us, O Lord, 
our God; for we rest on Thee, and in Thy Xarae 
we go against this multitude. O Lord, Thou art 
our God, let not man prevail against Thee!' . . , 

His faith was not in vain; his truthful prayer was 
heard. The hand of the Lord smote the Ethiop- 
ians before Asa, and before Judah; the dusky ranks 
of the heathen broke and scattered as the clouds 
break away before the fresh breeze of the morning. 
The Ethiopians were utterly overthrown ! . . . . 

Again there was peace in Judah And 

the King called a great assembly of his people and 
invited them to renew the covenant made by their 
fathers with the Lord. The people readily obeyed 
him 



INFIE^UTT WEEK. 



519 



' They sought God with their whole desire; and 
he was found of them; and the Lord gave them 
rest.' S. T. T. S. 

Readings. — Gen. iv. xliv. 30-45. viii. Levit. xiii. 
xiv. I Sam. xv. 1-5. Isa. xi. 1-12. iiv. Iv. lvi. Ixii. 
Ixv. Ixvi. Dan. Hi. iv. S. Matt. iv. viii. S. Mark 

iii. 1-5. S, Luke vii. 1-11. xi. 29-42, S. John 1. 
43-52, iii. v. 30-48. vi. 39-47. Rom. vi. 29 and 
fol. vs. xv. 30-33. xii. 16 and fol. vs. I Cor. iii, 16- 
23. II Cor. iv. Gal. iv. Ephes. vi. 11-17. II S. 
Tim. ii. 15-18. Heb. xi. S. James iii. 

Homily against peril of Idolatry, and Superfluous 
decking of churches. The Baptismal Services Arti- 
cle ix. xxxvii. and Visitation of the Sick with Com- 
ments. 

How did Christ look upon the Infirmities of His 
faithful followers? and how must we desire that our 
own maybe regarded. 

S. Luke xxii. 61, with S. John xxi. 15, 19, S. 
Matt. xiv. 24-32. S. John xx. 24-29. S. Matt, 
xxvi. 40-46. Ps. ciii. 3. IT Cor. xii. 7-10. Heb. 

iv. 15. S. T. 

Against those who call upon God in adversity and 
not in prosperity. 

Ex. viii. 8. x. 7. Lev. viii. 35. I Sam. vi. 12. 
Ps. cxix. 43. Isa. xx, 12. xxix. 9, 16. xxxviii. 13. 
lvii. 10, lxii. 6. Jer. xxxi. 21. Hos. v. 15. Hab. ii. 1. 



520 



THXED SUNDAY AFTEE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



That many are the afflictions of the righteous, but 
the Lord deliver eth him out of all. 

Gen. xxxi. 29. xxxii. it. Ex. x. 10. I Sam. xxiii. 
26, 27. I Kings xix. 4. 2 Kings vii. 6. Ps. iii. 1, 
6. xvii. 3. xviii. 3. xxxi. 8. 1. 15. lv. 5. lvii. 4. lx. 
3. lvi 9, 11. lxxi. 18. lxxxvi, 14. lxxxviii. 15. 
Ixxxix. 31, 32. xciv. 19. cii. 4, 17. cxx. 1. Jer. 
xxxviii. 13. Sus. lxii. Bel. xxxviii. 2 Mace. x. 29. 
S. John xvi. 33. Acts v. 19. xii. 6. xxvii. 22. 

That God comforts the afflicted and distressed, and 
in His wrath remembers mercy. 

Gen. v. 29. 2 Chron. xxxiv. 27. Ps. xxxiv. 18. 
xci, 15. Prov. xii. 25. Isa. lxi. 1. lxvi. 13. Mic. 
v. 5. S. John xvi. 1. 2 Cor. I. 3. 

S. A. N, 

See also Bible Text and Common Place Books. 

GENTLENESS TOWARDS OTHERS' INFIRMITIES. 

When teaching or 'working with others, never 
laugh or make fun of their awkwardness. If it is 
caused by stupidity, your laughter is uncharitable : 
if from ignorance, your mockery is, to say the least, 
unjust. 

Teach the unskilful with gentleness: show him the 
right way to work: and God, Who sees all your 
efforts, will smile on your patience, and send you 
help in all your difficulties. E. L. E. B. 



TsnR^im WEEK, 



521 



FAILURE OF ATTAINMENT. 

If this mute earth 
Of what it holds could speak, and every grave 
Were as a volume, shut, yet capable 
Of yielding its contents to eye and ear, 
We should recoil, stricken with sorrow and shame, 
To see disclosed, by such dread proof, how ill 
That which is done accords with what is known 
To reason, and by conscience is enjoin'd; 
How idly, how perversely, life's whole course, 
To this conclusion, deviates from the line, 
Or of the end stops short, proposed to all 
At her aspiring outset. — Wordsworth. 

R. D. D. 

Psalms, xv, Ixxxi, lxxxiii. Ixxxiv. lxxxv. xciii. 
xcv. cii. 

Anthems. Ps. iv. i, 2, 4, 6. Collect for the 
Day. Any Text in the Words for the Week, etc., etc. 

Hymns. 10, 33, 34, 63, 64, 146, 207, 250, 2S5, 
333> 33 6 > 33 8 , 3 6 9 t0 3 8 5 inc -> 39* to 397 inc., 403, 
408, 466, 499, 512, 514, 528, 532. 

' Let there be light' Gen. I. 3. 
* Thou, Whose Almighty word 
Chaos and darkness heard. 
And took their flight; 



THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Hear us, we humbly pray, 
And, where the Gospel's day 
Sheds not its glorious ray, 
Let there be light.' 

Thou Who didst come to bring 
On Thy redeeming wing 

Healing and sight, 
Health to the sick in mind, 
Sight to the inly-blind, 
O now, to all mankind, 

Let there be light ! 

Spirit of truth and love, 
Life-giving, holy Dove, 

Speed forth Thy flight ! 
Move on the water's face, 
Bearing the lamp of grace, 
And in earth's darkest place 

Let there be light ! 

Holy and Blessed three, 
Glorious Trinity, 

Wisdom, Love, Might, 
Boundless as ocean's tide, 
Rolling in fullest pride, 
Through the world, far and wide, 

Let there be light ! 



THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPH- 
ANY, &C„ OR POWER WEEK. 

TRUST IN GOD. 

Pure souls who rest 

On Jesus' Breast 
Fret not at heaven-sent crosses, 

For prayer doth gain 

Relief from pain, 
Peace while the tempest tosses. 

Trust all to God, 

Kiss His kind rod, 
Soon shall His mercy ease us ; 

And souls opprest 

With life's unrest 
Find happy sleep in Jesus. 

T. D. 

HOME COLLECT. 
O God of all power and might, look upon Thy de- 
pendent servants, and grant unto them such obedi- 
ence, faith, and trustful love by the help of the Holy 
Ghost, as is most acceptable in thy sight; through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. C. F. H. 

523 



524 



FOUXITH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



1 My God shall supply all you need according to His 
riches in glory by Christ Jesus. ' — Phil. iv. 19. 

Great need have I for one 
Who would my Saviour be, 

And a great Saviour for my need 
Jesus Thou art to me. 

When God could never yield 

And mortal never pay, — 
Mortal and God, in Thee reveal'd, 

Wiped all my debt away. 

All that my sin doth owe 

Thy goodness can supply, 
My state is not for Thee too low, 

Nor God's demand too high. 

I am not what I desire, 

Still less can hope to be 
What purity and truth require, 

But 111 be all in Thee. 

Less pure — I could not move 

With joy amid the blest; 
And heaven with less of light and love 

Would be no place of rest. 

J. S. B. M. 

COMMENTS. 
Our Lord Jesus is on this Sunday commemorated 
as the Saviour of all from every danger, as well as 



POWEK WEEK. 



525 



the Saviour of the diseased and infirm from the 
body of afflictions which happen to human 
nature. It is not now a Leper or Paralytic, but 
strong and hale men who are in need of His help. 
And yet though no horrible or painful desease afflicts 
them, they could not be in any more hopeless or 
helpless condition than when at sea in an open boat 
at the mercy of a tempest. He was doubtless re- 
vealing to them the true source of their safety,— His 
Presence, which makes an Ark of the Church. He 
was asleep, and they had little faith, and the storm 
was violent; and the ship being ' covered with waves/ 
we may well suppose that the danger was, from a 
human point of view, extreme. Christ reveals to 
the Apostles that the human point of view takes in a 
very small part of the whole prospect by manifesting 
forth His authority over the winds and the waves, 
and showing them that His Presence could preserve 
them, because it is the Presence of God. 

The miracle of casting out the devils from the two 
Gergesenes, carries on the parabolical teaching of 
the storm and its subjugation, by showing that the 
power of Christ extends not only over natural ele- 
ments and forces, but over supernatural beings, and 
hence the Lord of the Church is continually declar- 
ing to us, that though it may be tempest tossed on 
the waves of the world, He can assure its safety; and 
that though evil spirits oppose it with all the array 



526 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC 



of their power, yet the ' gates of Hell shall not pre- 
vail against it.' J, H. B. 

(In the Collect we pray.) 6 0 God, who know- 
est us to be set in the midst of so many and 
great dangers, that by reason of the frailty of 
our nature we cannot always stand upright.' This 
is a most touching appeal to our Almighty Father. 
The Collect is set in quite the same key as 
the last, in which we beseech God to 'look merci- 
fully upon our infirmities, and in all our dangers 
and necessities to stretch forth His right hand to 
help and defend us.' On the words c O God, Who 
knowest us to be set,' we may make the reflection 
that, while God knows and sees the perils in 
which we are, we do not always know and see them 
ourselves, and that those perils are most perilous of 
which we are least conscious. Bodily dangers, in- 
deed, like that arising from the storm at sea, force 
themselves, for the most part on our consciousness. 
But we are often nearest to spiritual perils when we 
are least on our guard against them In strong ex- 
citements of mind, such, for example, as arise from 
anger and wounded vanity, it is exceedingly difficult, 
■ by reason of the frailty of our nature,' to ' stand up- 
right/ And the best plan we can adopt is to do 
nothing and say nothing under the impulse, beyond 
crying to our Lord to still the tempest. Bishop 



POWER WEEK. 



527 



Fisher recommended Princess Charlotte, in all fits 
of uncontrollable temper, never to open her lips until 
she had first repeated the Lord's prayer mentally 
with as much seriousness and devotion as she could 
command (The editor would here add another admir- 
able rule for the control of ourselves in life of which 
he has heard viz: never to talk in a loud voice.) 

6 Grant to us such strength and protection, as may 
support us in all dangers, and carry us through all 
temptations.' . . . While we ask for such protection 
we must be very careful not to expose ourselves to 
the perils from which we ask to be protected. 
Dangers many and great we cannot indeed escape, but 
may not ' set ' ourselves ' in ' them. We are insincere 
with God when we say to Him, ' Lead us not into 
temptation/ if we run into it freely, and will not 
avoid such company, such books, such amusements, 
such surroundings as our experience tells us are sure 
to bring it. E. M. G. 

The Collect recognizes our great spiritual 
dangers, and appeals to God for the aid of His 
Spirit to support and guide the soul. The Epistle 
shows that the kingdom of Christ is not of this 
world, and that it obliges its subjects to be obedient 
to the laws of earthly rulers. The Gospel, which 
the Collect seems to fit more especially, displays 
the power of Christ to defend us in perils of the 



528 FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 

great deep, and in all the assaults of the devil. It 
suits the Epiphany, more especially, as displaying 
His power and majesty in controlling the winds and 
the waves. All the powers of nature obey Him, and 
even unclean spirits attest His divinity and suprem- 
acy ; and bear fearful witness to the wrath to come. 
Thus He is identified as the promised seed, Who 
should 6 destroy the works of the devil/ But a 
striking display of the hardness and uncleanness of 
the human heart is afforded in the conclusion of the 
Gospel ; for this merciful Holy Jesus, in spite of all 
His marvellous acts of benevolence, is entreated to 
depart from their coasts by certain people who find 
His presence an impediment to their unlawful gains. 
Thus, as we learned on the Third Sunday, the Gos- 
pel is sometimes hid, when it would be manifested, 
but for the disposition of money-lovers to worship 
the God of this world, rather than Him Who alone 
can give us the true riches. 

A. C. C. 

The Collect for the day . . . teaches us to pray 
that i God, Who knoweth us to be set in the midst 
of so many and great dangers, that by reason of the 
frailty of our nature we cannot always stand upright, 
would grant to us such strength and protection, as 
may support us in all dangers, and carry us through 
all temptations; through Jesus Christ our Lord! 



POWEE WEEK. 



529 



Surely the Church here teaches us to dwell, on the 
one hand, upon the dangers presented in the Gospel 
for the day, and, on the other hand, upon the instru- 
ment of deliverance. The disciples were exposed to 
the perils of the sea. They were tempted by those 
perils to loss or diminution of faith, And are not 
we alike exposed ? Nay, is not the very vessel in 
which they were rocking an acknowledged symbol of 
the great ark of the Church ? Are not we, is not 
every member of the Church, navigating the" great 
sea of trial and probation ? 

And we, too, like the disciples, how often do we go 
nigh to lose our faith. A trial for which we did not 
look, a storm unexpected rushes suddenly down and 
covers our whole prospect with the heavy waves of 
some overwhelming calamity. We cry out in our 
despair; we rush to our knees: we fling forth passion- 
ate, perhaps even angry, cries to our God. ' Carest 
Thou not that we perish ' ? S. Mark v, 39. Oh! how 
often have these words been used more in reproach 
than in respect. And yet He is there,— there watch- 
ing over us, there with us; in our homes, in our 
hearts, in our churches, and we cannot sink while 
He remains with us. Awake, or seeming to be 
asleep, alike He is in His own beloved Ark, our near, 
our unsleeping friend; and all that is necessary to 
the stilling of the waves is His will, and all that is 
necessary to move it is a supplicating faith. 



530 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



* Thou Framer of the light and dark, 
Steer through the tempest Thine own Ark; 
Amid the howling wintry sea 
We are in port if we have Thee/ 

The Christian Year. 

It is the same with every peril. Evil spirits may 
assault us, but they cannot injure beyond His loving 
permission. It is His hand that keeps fas.t the chain 
of darkness in which they are bound, or looses it and 
lets them go in wild confusion into some terrible 
abyss. 

Seeing, then, that all things in heaven and earth, 
and even under the earth, are subject to him; seeing, 
too, that He is our Friend, our Brother, ' born' for the 
very befriending of our 4 adversities,' — let us, at this 
blessed Epiphany season, still and again recur to His 
manifestations to His parents, to His disciples, to the 
Jewish Church and the Gentile world; and while we 
bless God for that ineffable love which gave Him to 
die for man, let us shew our gratitude, whatever 
dangers, many or great, may arise, by riding, in 
peaceful and undisturbed security, through every 
storm, no matter how great, how sudden, or how 
long, because we know that He is with us in the ves- 
sel; and waiting, whether in storm or sunshine, for 
His second Advent, His final and triumphant 
Epiphany. T. C. S. 



POWER WEEK. 



531 



DELIVER US FROM EVIL. 
Deliver us from evil, Heavenly Father! 

It still besets us wheresoe'er we go! 
Bid the bright rays of revelation gather 

To light the darkness in our way of woe! 
Remove the sin that stains our souls — for ever! 

Our doubts dispel — our confidence restore! 
Write Thy forgiveness on our hearts, and never 

Let us in vain petition for it more. 

Release us from the sorrows that attend us! 

Our nerves are torn — at every vein we bleed! 
Almighty Parent! with Thy strength befriend us! 

Else we are helpless in our time of need! 
Sustain us, Lord, with Thy pure Holy Spirit — - 

New vigour give to nature's faltering frame; 
And, at life's close, permit us to inherit 

The hope that's promised in the Saviour's name. 

G. P. M. 

'Let every soul be subject to the higher powers,' yes, 
though you are an Apostle, or a prophet, or be you 
what you may. This subjection does not overthrow 
religion and piety. . . The first ground for this rule 
of life, and one that rests on sure and faithful prin- 
ciples is, that this rule is appointed by God : For 
there is no power or authority that is not of God. 
(Rom. xiii. i.) 

'What say you?' (may some one say.) 'Is then 



532 



IOUBTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



every ruler appointed by God ?' That is not what I 
say. My argument now does not relate to individual 
rulers, but to the institution itself; and that govern- 
ments exist, that one class are rulers, and the other 
are governed, and that all things together are not 
borne along at random without control, the people, 
like waves, tossing all to and fro, this 1 say, is a 
work of God's wisdom. Thus the Apostle does not 
say, There is no ruler not appointed by God; but, 
reasoning about the nature of the thing, he says, 
There is no authority but of God ; the powers, the au- 
thorities, that be, are ordained of God. 

Anarchy, wherever it be, is an evil, and the cause 
of confusion. And having shown whence powers 
and authorities draw their origin, he adds, Whoso- 
ever there f ore resisieih ihe power, resisteth the ordin- 
ance of God. See to what point he leads the argu- 
ment, and whence he draws the principle of fear, and 
how he shows, that this duty is obligatory as of debt. 
Lest the faithful should say, 4 You degrade us, and 
make us contemptible, in subjecting t© the existing 
powers us, who are to inherit the kingdom of heaven/ 
he shows that by so doing it is not to the authorities 
of the world but to God that he subjects them; be- 
cause He it is Whom the man that is subject to the 
authorities obeys. Yet this is not his exact argu- 
ment, that he who is obedient to rulers obeys God ; 
but, on the contrary, he strikes men with fear, and 



POWEB WEEK, 



533 



lays it down more pointedly by saying, that he who 
does not obey the ruler declares war against God, 
Who enacted the law. (S. Ckrysostom.) 

J. E. T. 

That there should be rulers, and some rule and 
others be ruled, and that all things should not be 
just carried on in confusion, the people swaying like 
waves in this direction or that, this is the work of 
God's wisdom. Even in the body He hath done the 
same thing; for even here He hath not made all parts 
of equal honour, but He hath made one less and an- 
other greater, and some of the limbs hath He made 
to rule and some to be ruled. And it is to God that 
he who submits himself to authorities is obedient. 
(S. Ckrysostom.) D. & Y. 

The lessons of the occasion are the manifestation 
and recognition and proper observation, under grace, 
of the powers appointed or permitted by God; 
whether in the power to be resisted or in the power 
which is above that which is to be resisted, on legiti- 
mate grounds. Either way we should be willing to 
suffer for the attainment of the great object and end 
for which we should strive. For this grace is given 
in our present " dangers." Under this grace we can 
endure acceptably to God in "the frailty of our 
nature." Under this grace, seeing we so sadly need it. 



534 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC, 



we are enlightened. With these suggestions the Col- 
lect, Epistle, and Gospel remind us of our frailty — 
the source to which we are to look for all power — the 
loyalty which is due to that power — and the duty of 
humble prayer, submission, obedience, godliness, 
faith even unto resistance, when rightly guided, in 
the light of the natural and spiritual dangers in the 
midst of which we are set. All this is illustrated in 
the storm, the possessed with devils, and the covet- 
ousness of the Gadarenes, (S. Majk v.) with its ac- 
companying loss. The need of all this is enforced 
by the many devils with which men are capable of 
being possessed, as shown by the fact that 2,000 
swine were possessed and led to destruction by those 
devils which our Lord cast out from two persons. 
(S. Mark v. 13.) Trials and troubles should lead 
us to keep Christ with us, and not to drive Him 
from us. For this we are warned by the GoD-man 
Jesus. C. F. H. 

I. Consider some of the reasons why our Lord 
suffered the swine to perish : 

I. Many have found great difficulty in this mir- 
acle, and called it ' the miracle not of mercy '; there 
is no more difficulty in 2,000 swine perishing for the 
moral benefit of one man, than in the slaying of 
thousands every day for food for the race of man. 

II. He Who is the Creator and possessor of all. 



POWER WEEK. 



535 



said of the bread, which He had multiplied, 1 Gather 
up the fragments that reriain, that nothing be hst] to 
warn against the sin of extravagance, or waste ; and 
here He allows 2,000 swine to perish, to warn men 
against the sin of covetousness, or excessive attach- 
ment to creatures. 

Hi. It was a miracle of the deepest mercy, for it 
was to teach man the lesson most needed,. the true 
position of creatures in relation to man. 

A, G. M. 

The devils acknowledged Christ's power over 
them, and asked permission to enter a herd of 
swine; Christ gave it, and the swine rushed down 
a precipice and perished in the lake. This is the 
only miracle of our Lord, whereby an injury was 
done to a living creature ; every other one was an 
act of benevolence, but this exercise of His power 
proved His words, — that .He would judge and con- 
demn both devils and wicked men ; for the law for- 
bid the Jews to keep swine to eat, or sell; they had 
violated the law, if they were owned by Jews; and 
so He acted as their judge, in punishing them with 
che loss of their property. . . , 

The winds and waves had first obeyed Christ's 
voice, the devils had submitted to Him; but the un- 
belief and will of wicked men, He would not vio- 
lently turn away. The time of the Passover was 



536 



FOntTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



now at hand, and He went on His way to Jerusalem. 

L. C. 

Our blessed Lord does not reprove His disciples 
for having recourse to Him in their distress, for that 
was surely an act of faith in them, but for their be- 
ing so ; fearful '; the greatness of their fears showed 
the littleness of their faith. Consider in this and 
like cares what it is that Christ disapproves of. . . 
There was every appearance of most imminent 
danger, and we are not to expect that God wil] 
work a miracle to save us. To look upon death 
as approaching when we see every sign that it is 
near, cannot be the want of faith here complained 
of. To be 'fearful, 5 to be full of fear and alarm in 
such danger, is the thing reproved. An entire trust 
in God, and acquiescence in His gracious will, 
would teach us to commit ourselves altogether into 
His hands either for life or death. This is the true 
courage which faith gives, not a confidence that we 
shall not die, but a repose in God's will, whether we 
die or live. 

D. G. S. L. 

The winds were howling o'er the deep, 

Each wave a wat'ry hill, 
The Saviour waken 'd from His sleep, 

He spake and ail was still. 



POWEK WEEK. 



The madman in a tomb had made 

His mansion of despair ; 
Woe to the traveller who stayed 

With heedless footstep there. 

The chains hung broken from his arm, 
Such strength can hell supply, 

And fiendish hate and fierce alarm 
Flash'd from his hollow eye. 

He met that glance so thrilling sweet, 
He heard those accents mild, 

And, melting at Messiah's feet, 
Wept like a weaned child. 

Oh madder than the raging man! 

Oh deafer than the sea; 
How long since Christ began 

To call in vain on me ? 

He call'd me when my thoughtless prime 

Was early ripe to ill; 
I passed from folly on to crime, 

And yet He call'd me still. 

He called me in the time of dread, 
When death was full in view, 

I trembled on my feverish bed, 
And rose to sin anew! 



538 



FOUKTH SUNDAY AFTEB EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Yet could I hear Him once again 

As I have heard of old, 
Methinks He should not call in vain 

His wanderer to the fold. 

Oh Thou that every thought canst know, 

And answer every prayer; 
Oh give me sickness, want, or woe, 

But snatch me from despair! 

My struggling will by grace control, 

Renew my broken vow! 
What blessed light breaks on my soul ? 

O God ! I hear Thee now. 

P. H. 

We are all voyaging through this stormy world 
in the Ark of Christ's Church; and, besides, us, 
that Church contains our Blessed Lord Himself. 
He is not, to our bodily eyes, taking an active part 
in our voyage ; He leaves the management of the 
ship, which conveys Him to us, to our guidance. 
He does not prevent the rough winds of tribulation 
from visiting our ship ; He is asleep. He sleeps a 
merciful sleep while we suffer, for He knows that it 
is good for us that we are afflicted ; He knows that 
' before we were troubled we went wrong, but now, 
shall we keep His word ' . . . . 

The prayer of the disciples, and the rejection of 



POWER WEEK. 



539 



the Gadarenes, are not brought together in the Gos- 
pel . . without a purpose ; in the one is shown 
the behaviour of the faithful, in the other that of the 
faithless when under difficulty ; the one says, ' Lord, 
save us, we perish/ the other beseeches the Saviour 
to depart from them. H, N, 

Submission to Authority. 

t. Christians are bound to be good citizens, and 
for that reason they are to obey the laws. Titus iii, 
i. Prov. viii. 15, 16. Rom. xiii. 1, 2. (Epistle for 
the day.) 

2. But they have further also a special motive for 
submission. They are to render obedience ' for con- 
science sake,' i. e., not only because it is expe- 
dient, but because it is right. Rom. xiii. 5-7. 1 
Peter ii, 15, 14, 17. Compare Eccl. viii. 2. 

3. This applies to rules in the Church as well as 
in the State ; to Bishops and Pastors as well as to 
Kings and Magistrates. Matt, xxiii. 1-3. Heb. 
xiii. 17. 1 Tim. v. 17. Compare Tit. ii. 15, and 
see Catechism. (Duty to our Neighbour.) 

4. A rebellious spirit is specially unchristian. 2 
Thess. iii. 6, 11, 14. 1 Tim. vi. 3-5. 

THXXE IS THE POWER. 
Our Father, our Father, Who dwellest in light, 
We lean on Thy love, and we rest on Thy might ; 



540 



FOUBTH SUNDAY APTEB EPIPHANY, ETC. 



In weakness and weariness joy shall abound,* 
For strength everlasting in Thee shall be found : 
Our Refuge, our Helper, in conflict and woe, 
Our mighty Defender, how blessed to know 
That Thine is the Power ! 

Our Father, Thy promise we earnestly claim, 
The sanctified heart that shall hallow Thy Name, 
In ourselves, in our dear ones, throughout the wide 
world, 

Be Thy Name as a banner of glory unfurled ; 
Let it triumph o'er evil and darkness and guilt ; 
We know Thou canst do it, we know that Thou wilt, 
For Thine is the Power ! 

Our Father, we long for the glorious day 
When all shall adore Thee, and all shall obey. 
Oh hasten Thy kingdom, oh show forth Thy might, 
And wave, o'er the nations Thy sceptre of right. 
Oh make up Thy jewels, the crown of Thy love, 
And reign in our hearts as Thou reignest above, K 
For Thine is the Power ! 

Oar Father we pray that Thy will may be done, 
For full acquiescence is heaven begun — 
Both in us and by us Thy purpose be wrought 
In work and in action, in spirit and thought; 



POWER WEEK. 



And Thou canst enable us thus to fulfil, 
With holy rejoicing, Thy glorious will, 
For Thine is the Power ! 

Our Father, Thou carest; Thou knowest indeed 
Our inmost desires, our manifold deed ; 
The fount of Thy mercies shall never be dry, 
For Thy riches in glory shall mete the supply ; 
Our bread shall be given, our water be sure, 
And nothing shall fail, for Thy word shall endure, 
And thine is the Power ! 

Our Father, forgive us, for we have transgressed, 
Have wounded Thy love, and forsaken Thy breast 
In the peace of Thy pardon henceforth let us live, 
That through Thy forgiveness we too may forgive ; 
The Son of Thy love, Who hath taught us to pray, 
For Thy treasures of mercy hath opened the way, 
And Thine is the Power ! 

Thou knowest our dangers, Thou knowest our frame 
But a tower of strength is Thy glorious Name ; 
Oh, lead us not into temptation, we pray, 
But keep us, and let us not stumble or stray; 
Thy children shall under Thy shadow abide ; 
In Thee as our Guide and our Shield we confide, 
For thine is the Power ! 



542 



FOTJTH SUNDAY AFTEK EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Our Father, deliver Thy children from sin, 
From evil without, and from evil within, 
From this world, with its manifold evil and wrong, 
From the wiles of the evil one, subtle and strong; 
Till, as Christ overcame, we, too, conquer and sing, 
All glory to Thee, our victorious King, 
For Thine is the power ! 

Our Father, Thy children rejoice in Thy reign, 
Rejoice in Thy highness, and praise Thee again ! 
Yea, Thine is the kingdom and Thine is the might, 
And Thine is the glory transcendently bright ; 
For ever and ever that glory shall shine, 
For ever and ever that kingdom be Thine, 
For Thine is the Power ! 

F. R. H. 

This Gospel in the former of the two miracles re- 
counted by it, sets before us a lively emblem of 
God's dealing with servants ; and a plain intimation, 
both what those servants are to expect from Him, and 
what they are to do, to justify their dependence upon 
Him Violent shakings and stroag convulsions are 
incident to the fortunes, not of private men only, but 
of communities and kingdoms. This is the lot of the 
best, of the greatest, of the Church, of the whole world! 
God hath no where engaged to keep off assaults and 
temptations ; He thinks it encouragement enough to 



POWER WEEK* 



543 



sustain us under, to succour us in, and at His own 
due time, to deliver us out of our dangers and dis- 
tress. When therefore, these attack us, either in our 
personal, or in our public capacity, our business 
must be to seek His protection, by earnest and con- 
stant prayer; and thus to silence all those wicked 
distrusts which frail nature, the prevalence of sensual 
affections, and the extremity of afflictions, are too 
apt to betray us into : to remember, that, though 
ourselves are weak, yet our Redeemer is mighty i 
that the 'stormy wind,' which cannot 'rise' but at 
His 'word,' shall, when he pleases to command, be 
immediately laid by it again : that He is disposed to 
look upon our sufferings and infirmities with a very 
tender eye ; and, provided we be not wanting to our 
duty, He will accept that most pious and necessary 
prayer, which our Church, in allusion to the passage 
now before us, hath taught us to put up this day. 

{Dean Stanhope) Bp. B 9 

HEAR MY CRY! 

O Strong to save and bless, 
My Rock and Righteousness 

Draw near to me ! 
Blessing, and joy, and might, 
Wisdom, and love and light 

Are all with thee ! 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 

My Refuge and my Rest, 
As child on mother's breast, 

I lean on Thee ! 
From faintness and from fear, 
When foes and ill are near, 

Deliver me ! 

Turn not away Thy face, 
Withhold not needed grace, 

My fortress be ! 
Pearls are round and round, 
Iniquities abound 

See, Saviour, see ! 

Come, God and Saviour, come ! 
I can no more be dumb ; 

Appeal I must 
To Thee, the Gracious One, 
Else is my hope all gone, 

I sink in dust ! 

Oh, answer me, my God, 
Thy love is deep and broad, 

Thy Grace is true ! 
Thousands this grace have shared, 
Oh, let me now be heard, 

Oh, love me too ! 



POWER WEEK. 



545 



Descend, Thou mighty love, 
Descend from heaven above, 

Fill Thou this soul ! 
Heal every bruised part, 
Bind up this broken heart, 

And make me whole. 

'Tis knowing Thee that heals ; 
f Tis seeing Thee that seals 

Comfort and peace! 
Show me Thy cross and blood, 
My Saviour and my God, 

When troubles cease. 

{Bonar.) S. R. 

i His disciples came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, 
Lord, save us : we perish. And He said unto them, 
Why are ye fearful \ O ye of little faith? Then He 
arose, and rebuked the wi?ids and the sea ; and there 
was a great calm. S. Matt. viii. 25, 26. 

Since round His sleeping brow no aureole 
Proclaims Him God, they of His company, 
Slow to believe but what they hear and see, 
Winds fiercelier raving, waves that never roll 
Do image, trembling, the untrustful soul. 
And He doth image that He was, and is, 
And is for ever, God. The seas are His. 



546 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTEB EPIPHANY, ETC. 



He made them with a word ; a word's control 
Can bow them at His Feet. Lo, with His Form, 
Uprising at their faith's weak fearful cry; 
The tumult dwindles to a summer sigh, 
i Be still/ and all is peace where all was storm, 
So, Lord, in my wild hours of pain and grief, 
Since I believe, forgive mine unbelief. 

S. J. S. 

Lord, save us j we perish. S. Matt. viii. 25. 

The world's rude tempest rages ! 

Rough is life's stormy sea! 
Lord, save us, or we perish, 

We perish without Thee. 

Arise and lay the billows 

Around us calm and deep ! 
Awake, and bid the passions 

That swell within us sleep ! 

Lift up Thyself amongst us, 

And let Thy presence fill 
The void that makes the tempest, 

Till every heart be still ; 

Till every sorrow slumber, 

And every passion cease, 
Then shall we sing our praises 

To Thee, the Lord of peace. 



POWER WEEK. 



5*7 



O Voice of mighty wonder. 

Whom winds and sea obey, 
Shall we be found — Thy children — ■ 

Less dutiful than they ? 

J. S. B. M. 

Of the Gospel both parts seem to bear upon the 
Collect, in which we call upon God for strength and 
protection, by reason of the many dangers and temp- 
tations in which He knows us to be set. The dis- 
ciples tossed about at sea by the tempests, while 
their Master was asleep, are an emblem of the Chris- 
tian, exposed to dangers and temptations, which 
seem often on the point of swallowing him up ; 
while his Divine Helper appears at the time regard- 
less of his sorrows and struggles, even as though he 

were asleep The Christian should believe 

(however regardless the Lord may seem of his 
troubles) that He is really overruling all things for 
his good ; and he should often rebuke his fears 
and faint-heartedness by saying to himself, Why art 
thou fearful, O thou of little faith ? He Who was 
able to command the winds and waves, is ever 
at hand to scatter the clouds that threaten thee ; to 
make a way of escape out of the temptations which 
surround thee. 

Although the disciples yielded to their fears too 
much, yet we may learn from their example what to 



548 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. ETC. 



do, when such fears beset themselves; still to call upon 
the Lord, even when He seems regardless of us, by 
our prayers and supplications. Remember, too, 
that we need thus to call upon Him equally in the 
calm of prosperity as in the storm of sorrow : temp- 
tations are often then most dangerous: and as we are 
encouraged thus to treat Him, by the record of that 
power which He exercises over the elements, as re- 
lated in the first part of the Gospel ; so also may we 
gather courage from the manifestation of His power 
over evil spirits, as related in the second portion. 
We there see the devils obeying His word, trembling 
at His presence, moving only by His permission 
just as in the former part we see the tempest hushed 
at his command. W. J. T. 

The power of God present in Jesus Christ, 
which has already manifested itself as ruling inani- 
mate matter at Cana and as conquering disease at 
Capernaum, asserts itself to-day as almighty, also, 
in controlling the elements of wind and wave upon 
the sea of Galilee, and in vanquishing Satan in the 

country of the Gergesenes Men marvel 

most at the 4 manner of man Jesus Christ,' is in 
His manifestation of His power over the elements. 
But after all He manifests Himself even more as 
God, not in removing danger and withdrawing 
temptation, but in supporting us in danger and car- 



POWER WEEK. 



549 



Tying us through temptation by His 'strength and 
protection ' granted us ; which make the fearful 
and faithless, faithful and free from fear. We ought 
to carry this figure on, to that strange story of the 
Gadarene swine. The men who stumble at this 
feature of the miracle, merging their sense of the 
mercy of a lost soul saved in their extreme pity for 
the few swine lost, forget the moral meaning of the 
miracle ; forget that only here and on the false fig- 
tree near Bethany, did Christ's almighty power 
ever work except to heal ; and much resemble the 
Gergesenes themselves, who preferred their swine 
to their Saviour, and ' besought Him to depart from 
their coasts.' And why? Because He allowed lo 
be enacted before their eyes, as in the close and 
climax of a great drama, the rapid progress of the 
soul's descending pathway, deeper and deeper into 
sin. Sunk first in sensuousness and given over to 
Satan's control, it reaches by and by the 1 steep 
place ' on which it cannot stand upright, and 
down which it rushes 6 violently, to perish in the 
waters.' . . . 

Passing on to the perpetual application of these 
two miracles to ourselves, we are to learn, first of 
all, that it is not God's purpose to protect us from, 
but to support us in, danger and temptation. The 
Christian prayer means, Mead us not ' into the potver, 
rather than lead us not into the presence, of tempta- 



550 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



tion ; means not ' deliver us from evil/ as though we 
were to be kept from the surrounding of sin, but 
deliver us from the evil of yielding to sin. . . . 
God knows us to be set in the midst of danger ; and 
knows the frailty of our nature ; and knows we can- 
not always stand; and knows and reveals to us the 
power of Satan, that i we wrestle not with flesh and 
blood.' Our mistake is to underrate our danger ; 
to fancy that we can remove ourselves from temp- 
tation, or to overrate our strength. What He 
teaches us is, that the dangers are great, and our 
nature very frail ; and therefore He offers, and there- 
fore we need, the greatness of His strength and the 
power of His protection. 

The ship on the sea is the Church in the world. 
It is threatened, it is in peril. He seems asleep. 
Ecclesiastical history has realized this picture a 
thousand times. But that ship cannot be wrecked, 
no matter how much faithless men may fear, for she 
will ride the storm, and He will rule it. And that 
ship is also the soul; in which, alas! the Saviour 
sleeps; when those in whom He is, by His own gift 
of Himself, awake Him not with prayer, or fail ' to 
stir up the gift ' that is in them. But even here, the 
fear that comes in the moment of supreme peril may, 
by His mercy, be turned into the faith to whose appeal 
His ' heart that waketh ' even when He sleeps, will 
certainly respond. Only when Satan has such sw r ay 



POWEE WEEK. 



551 



upon us that he speaks, instead of us, to God ; as in 
the demoniac ' Suffer us to go away into the herd of 
swine ;' let us sink deeper and deeper in our sins ; 
or, as in the Gadarenes, ' Depart out of our coasts ;' 
only then is it certain that we must ' perish in the 
waters.' The weakness of our nature and the 
strength of our temptations are neither excuse for 
sin nor reason for despair. W. C, D. 

LOOK ALOFT. 

In the tempest of life, when the wave and the gale 
Are around and above, if thy footing should fail, 
If thine eyes should grow dim, and thy caution de- 
part, 

'Look aloft V and be firm, and be fearless of heart. 

If the friend who embraced in prosperity's glow, 
With a smile for each joy and a tear for each woe, 
Should betray thee when sorrows like clouds are 
arrayed, 

'Look aloft!' to the friendship which never shall 
fade. 

Should the visions which hope spreads in light to 
thine eye, 

Like the tints of the rainbow, but brighten to fly, 
Then turn, and through tears of repentant regret, 
'Look aloft !' to the Sun that is never to set. 



552 



FOCJETH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Should they who are dearest, the son of thy heart, 
The wife of thy bosom in sorrow depart, 
' Look aloft !' from the darkness and dust of the 
tomb, 

To that soil where affection is ever in bloom. 

And oh ! when death comes in his terrors, to cast 
His fears on the future, his pall on the past 
In that moment of darkness, with hope in thy heart, 
And smile in thine eye, ' Look aloft !' and depart. 

{J. Lawrence) L. A. 

OUR LORD'S AUTHORITY OVER NATURAL AND 
SUPERNATURAL FORCES. 

i All power is given unto Me in Heaven and in 
earth.'— S. Matt, xxviii. 18. 

Thus did our Blessed Lord speak of Himself upon 
earth, when He was risen from the dead, and was on 
the point of ascending into Heaven. ' All things ' 
then were 4 put under His feet/ Ps. viii. 6, and He 
became ' the Head of all principality and power.' 
Col. ii, io. 

But even when He came into the world, this com- 
mand concerning Him was given by the Father, 
' Let all the angels of God worship Him,' Heb. i. 5, 
and so great was His pre-eminence before He was 
made flesh at all—' even in the beginning,' Gen. i. 
1,— that by Him God made the worlds, Heb i. 2, 



POWEB WEEK, 



553 



yea, the very heavens were the work of His hands. 
Vers. 8. 10, 

So that we might thoroughly expect to find Him, 
during His sojourn here, exercising authority over 
the forces of nature which He had Himself created, 
and even over angelic might. For by Him, ' Who 
is the image of the Invisible God, were all things 
created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, 
visible and invisible, whether they be the thrones, or 
dominions, or principalities, or powers ; all things 
were created by Him and for Him,' Col. i, 15, 16. 
This is said of God the Son. He is here clearly dis- 
tinguished from God the Father, and is called the 
Head of the Body of the Church,' and - the First- 
born from the dead.' Yet ' He is before all things, 
and by Him all things consist.' (See verses 17-20.) 

And so it was, as the Gospel records prove. 
Generally, indeed, He was sparing of His Omnipo- 
tency. He left Nature to the laws which He had 
originated for her, and was content to use our 
weapons against the Satanic hosts which opposed 
Him, as even against the attacks of Satan himself. 
This is strikingly shown in the narrative of the Temp- 
tation. Though He might have overthrown the devil 
i with one rough word,' He chose rather to wield that 
'Sword of the Spirit — the word of God' — which 
He commends to us. He condescended to our level, 
that so we might stand firm in our trial, and over- 



554 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETO. 



come even as He also overcame, thus finding Him 
not only the Captain of our salvation, but also the 
Brother who fights by our side. 

Yet, when He willed, He could come forth and 
use His irresistible might in a moment. He could 
overcome the supernatural foe by what seemed His 
natural voice, saying to him when he had ended all 
his temptations, ' Get thee hence, Satan/ and making 
him instantly depart. He could overcome the 
natural by the supernatural, saving the sinking Peter 
from the drowning waves by the wholesome strength 

of His right hand So, in this day's Gospel, 

w r e see Him calming the stormy sea with a word, 
and expelling the fierce demons into the deep. . . . 
Let us take some instances in which the wants and 
fears and trials of our own life, or the anxieties and 
tribulations of the Church, illustrate for us the bless- 
ing of Christ's authority, and the sufficiency of 
His help. 

1. When we are alarmed by storm or earthquake, 
by fire or water, let us recollect that these are abso- 
lutely at His disposal. . . . 

2. Again, if we are troubled by the terrible as- 
saults of evil spirits, tried by the awful temptations 
of unclean devils, we may remember for our com- 
fort and support that none of these can really hurt us 
if we abide in Christ, and Christ abides in us. The 
Presence of Christ, sought and found in prayer, 



POWER WEEK. 



555 



and reading, and Holy Communion, will take pos- 
session of our hearts, and prevent the wicked one 
from entering in to dwell there. And he and liis 
false angels will after a while depart from us, as 
if they and the fears they awakened in us were but 
phantoms of the night : like as the smoke vanisheth, 
so shall Christ drive them away. Only let us care 
not to harbour them, in our hearts ; if once we wil- 
lingly give them admission, and consent to their sin- 
ful suggestions, they will not easily be dislodged. If 
we will go on diligently watching and warring against 
them, the power of Christ shall rest upon us, and 
He will defend us from all the danger of the enemy. 

3. But further, should our minds be disturbed by 
deep anxiety, tossed about by the perplexities of 
doubt, or by the blasts of vain doctrine or hideous 
unbelief, our Almighty Saviour can say, and often 
with instantaneous effect, to this inner storm which 
none but His eye and our heart can see — i Peace, be 
still.' Whatever be the nature of the tempest, never 
forget that you have God the Son with you in the 
boat. Your life is bound up with His ; and He will 
never cast out your prayer. Even though He seems 
to sleep, cease not from the humble earnest cry of 
your supplication, and meanwhile do the plain duties 
which your conscience knows to be right, and then 
in His own good time all shall be clear before you, 
and within you there shall be a great calm. 



556 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



4. And, once more, if sometimes you tremble for 
the ship, if the Church of Christ, with its precious 
freight of immortal souls, seems to your purblind 
sight in jeopardy, if the evil spirits banded in unblest 
device against it appear to be prevailing, recall to 
yourself the love, the strength, the promise of Christ. 
His is the Church, and He has told us that the 
gates of hell shall not prevail against it, S. Matt, xvi., 
18. He is in the ship, and however mighty be the 
waves of the sea, He is always mightier ; the ship can- 
not go down ; all in her are safe if they do but abide in 
Him. O what a blessing to belong to the Church of 
the living God, to have Jesus Christ as our Head, 
our Strength, our very Life ! For His death, His 
resurrection, His ascension, though they have re- 
moved Him from our sight awhile, have but added 
to His power to aid us. He has no more infirmity 
through the flesh, no more sorrow or suffering, death 
hath no more dominion over Him. He has all power 
given unto Him in heaven and in the earth. If He 
is our Advocate with the Father, no one, either 
man or devil, can hinder our prayers from rising to 
the Throne of mercy. If He is the Giver of all 
grace, we are safe here even in the midst of our foes ; 
He will defend us from the power of the enemy, and 
keep us in perpetual peace. No fears need appal 
us, no perils destroy our faith. For His sake who 
died for us, and who dwelleth in us, our heavenly 



POWEB WEEK, 



557 



Father will grant us such strength and protection 
as will support us in all dangers, and carry us through 
all temptations — all the pains which our flesh is heir 
to — all the attacks which the rulers of 1 spiritual 
wickedness ' can bring against us. And so, if we 
are but striving against sin, our prayer, our word of 
faith which does not even ask for help, may always 
go up in quietness and in confidence to our glorious 
Redeemer — ' Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, 
whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth 
in Thee,' Isa. xxvi, 3. G. E. J. 

Great troubles do not prove that we have certainly 
wandered from the path of duty. The disciples were 
overtaken with a great tempest when they had put 
to sea in obedience to the commands of their 
Saviour, and when they had evidently followed in 
the way of His steps. Let us beware of the mistake 
made by the three friends of Job. The wind 
may be contrary, and the sea may be rough,, dangers 
may threaten on every hand, and the waters may come 
even to our soul, when we are sincerely endeavoring, 
though with much infirmity, to obey the command 
and to follow the steps of our adorable Saviour. 
The storm may be sent neither to punish us nor to 
swallow us up, when to our trembling apprehension, 
it can do nothing else. He with whom we have to 
do is wonderful in counsel and excellent in works. 



558 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. ETC. 



As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His 
thoughts higher than our thoughts. He knows how 
to make the sharpest trials in which we are involved 
eventually prove our richest blessings. Only let us 
be sure that we are obeying His voice and following 
His steps, and then we shall certainly be delivered 
out of all our distress, however severely, for a sea- 
son, they may press upon us 

The country of the Gergesenes . . included in 
it the region of Gadara. It was chiefly inhabited 
by Jews, but surrounded by Gentiles. The Jews in 
these parts seem to have been mingled among the 
heathen, and to have learned their ways. ... By 
the law of Moses, swine were pronounced unclean : 
their very touch was defiling. But these degenerate 
Jews were more anxious to increase their substance 
than to keep the law. They therefore kept large 
numbers of these forbidden animals, to sell to their 
heathen neighbours. The evil spirits knew what was 
the special snare to the men of this place ; and they 
formed a subtle plan to prejudice them against the 
Redeemer, who had come to visit them. They ex- 
pected that the Lord ?rould not allow them to re- 
main where they were, and they asked as a favour 
that they might be permitted to take possession of 
the swine. By no means ignorant of their wicked 
device, but to accomplish His Own wise and Holy 
purposes — a purpose of mercy to the afflicted men, 



POWEE WEEK. 



559 



and a purpose of judgment to the carnal Gadarenes, 
and at the same time to manifest clearly the char- 
acter of the people — the Lord was pleased to grant 
the request of the evil spirits. E. P. 

Most of the troubles and confusion which disturb 
mankind have their origin in the disobedience and 
rebellion of man. His natural pride and self-will 
incline him to be disobedient and rebellious to the 
authority which is set over him, and so to disturb 
his own and his neighbour's peace. The first step 
towards promoting peace and concord in the world 
is, to teach men the principles of submission and 
obedience. These two virtues are amongst the first 
which the light of Christ's Gospel brought into the 
world ; and they are therefore those which the epis- 
tle for this day specially enforces unto the children 
of light. 

We, Christians, are here taught to look upon our 
rulers as messengers sent from God to control and 
direct us, and to consider disobedience to them as 
disobedience to Him who set them over us, Ro- 
mans, xiii, i. And this is the difference between 
our submission and that of the heathens. They 
were subject for ' wrath ' — we for ' conscience sake 
Romans, xiii, 5. Their motive was a mere fear of 
man — ours springs from love and obedience to God. 

This duty of loyalty to the higher Powers is one 



560 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



which is binding upon every Christian in every age and 
station of life. God has set over our country .... 
rulers to maintain peace and discipline amongst those 
over whom they are appointed to rule. Over the 
Church, God has set pastors and teachers whom we 
are to i obey as those that have the rule over us.' 
Heb, xiii, 17. Whosoever, therefore, resisteth those 
powers, speaking lightly of their authority, or op- 
posing their commands, 6 resisteth the ordinance of 
God.' 

Again, masters of families and parents are also 
amongst the higher powers, to which every soul 
placed under them is to be subject. Christian ser- 
vants are commanded to serve their masters, not 
with eye service, as men-pleasers, but as those that 
serve the Lord Christ; and children are to obey their 
parents, or their teachers to whom their parents en- 
trust them, 'because it is right and well-pleasing 
unto the Lord.' It is the breaking of these laws, 
and resisting these ordinances, which causes schism 
in the Church, sedition in the State, discord and 
quarrelling in families. Those who do so can expect 
no strength or protection ; while such as walk 
orderly, under the several authorities which the prov- 
idence of God has set over them, have nothing to 
fear. To them the minister of justice is a minister 
of good and not of evil, and should even he fail to 
protect them, the God whom they serve is able to 



POWEE WEEK. 



561 



deliver them. Nevertheless, it sometimes happens 
that God suffers the rebellious passions of wicked 
men to triumph for a time, in order that through 
them, He may train and discipline His faithful ser- 
vants. This is signified to us in the Gospel under 
the emblem of the ship at sea. The stormy sea re- 
presents the trouble and misery which the devil stirs 
up in the world ; the ship is the Church, in which 
Christ is guiding His faithful people through the 
i waves of this troublesome world ' to their everlast- 
ing rest. His being present with them, though 
asleep, shows how He watches over His faithful 
members, even while He 6 makes as though He heard 
them not.' 

In His good time, however, He manifests His 
divine power to still the raging tempest, S. Matt., 
viii, 23 ; and so will He in His good time save His 
Church out of trouble, if its members have faith to 
persevere in earnest prayer. He whose mighty pow£r 
can drive out the evil spirits from the men possessed 
with the devils (S. Matt. viii. 32) will cure the evil 
passions of man's heart and reduce them to peace 
and order. 

Thus do we find ourselves placed in that position 
which the Collect of this day describes. We are 'set 
in the midst of many and great dangers, against 
which the frailty of our nature could not stand,' and 
so we pray that the divine grace and protection may 



562 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



'support us in all dangers and carry us through all 
temptations.* C. T. 

AS THY DAYS, SO SHALL THY STRENGTH BE. 
When adverse winds and waves arise, 
And in my heart despondence sighs ; 
When life her throng of cares reveals, 
And weakness o'er my spirit steals, 
Grateful I hear the kind decree, 
That 4 as my day, my strength shall be.' 

When, with sad footsteps, memory roves 
'Mid smitten joys and buried loves, 
When sleep my tearful pillow flies, 
And dewy morning drinks my sighs, 
Still to Thy promise, Lord ! I flee, 
That ' as my day, my strength shall be.' 

• One trial more must yet be past, 

One pang — the keenest and the last ; 
And when, with brow convulsed and pale, 
My feeble, quivering heart-strings fail, 
Redeemer ! Grant my soul to see, 
That ' as her day, her strength shall be.' 

{Mrs. Sigourney) G. T. R. 

S. Paul rests obedience to lawful authority on the 
principle of our dependence on each other : that we 



POWEB WEEK. 



563 



are not separate beings, but members of an order, 
therefore we cannot claim to be absolute. At the 
time that this was written Nero was Emperor, the 
worst and most cruel of all. Of him the Apostle 
says, that his rule is an ordinance of God. How 
long a nation is bound to suffer cruelty and wicked- 
ness in a ruler, and when it becomes bound to de- 
pose such an one, wc cannot gather here. The 
Bible does not make^provision for each special case; 
it only gives us principles. God has given us con- 
science and reason as well; and the Bible always 
takes for granted that these are to be exercised. So, 
then, S. Paul does not say, — ' Obey as long as 
they do not command what is wrong.' He knew 
that they would so understand him, both as 
men of common sense and as Christians. We know 
that they had, even in those days, to exercise 
conscience, and some of them to die rather than 
obey. In the same way, the Apostle has not dis- 
cussed questions concerning revolutions, usurpations, 
rulers who break the laws, and the like. . . . 
Men who lived in troublous times have had much 
sorrow and perplexity; excellent and noble men 
have oftentimes differed so widely as to fight against 
each other in civil war. . . 

What, then, is the force of the Apostle's precept? 
Even this — 'All power is from God, therefore it 
must not be used arbitrarily : All claim of a man 



564 



FOUBTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



to be absolute is ungodly.' And no man can assert 
his independence of authority above him, if doing 
so is merely an exercise of self-will. He is not to 
obey or disobey, as he chooses. Obedience to law- 
ful authority is the broad line of duty, — the appli- 
cation of it, the limitations when they are needed, 
are left to the practical wisdom, the conscience, the 
light of the Holy Spirit, sought by diligent and 
humble prayer. The possibility even so, of some- 
times erring, only renders more imperative the need 
of diligence and humility. W. B. 

S. Paul does not say tint all men, that all who 
exercise authority, lawfully or unlawfully, are or- 
dained and set in their station by God, but only 
that the power itself, which they exercise, is by 
the authority and appointment of the Creator. 
And this is true of all power to which these 
words apply, and not to the supreme earthly 
power only. The power and authority of the 
father over the family, of the husband over the 
wife, of masters over servants, of subordinate magis- 
trates over a portion of the community, the control 
of Church officers over the members of the Church 
— in short, all power of one over another is by the 
ordinance of our Father in heaven, and is derived 
from Him. 

. . . The obedience required of Christians by the 



POWER WEEK. 



565 



Gospel is obedience in lawful things; for if the 
earthly ruler order the doing of that which is unlaw r - 
ful and is contrary to the law of God, this the 
Christian may in no wise do. The resistance, then, 
here spoken of is limited to the resistance to lawful 
commands, and to such as are not opposed to our 
duty to God. With this proviso, he that refuses 
compliance with the law of our earthly ruler, refuses 
compliance with the law and the ordinance of God 
Himself. 

They that resist shall receive to themselves damnation 
—that is, the condemnation or punishment from the 
ruler, for this is the meaning of damnation in this 
place . . . 

For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to 
the evil. . . . Render therefore to all their dues j 
tribute to whom tribute is due ; custom to whom 
custom ; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. 

. . . God's benefits to man, and His marvels, 
sometimes drive men from Him instead of drawing 
them to Him, as He intends they should. Here not 
a few, but the many, the whole city, ask Him to 
depart ; so it was the whole body of the people of 
Jerusalem that would crucify Him . . . 

Christ came to teach and to heal in the coasts of 
the Gergesenes. When, however, they turned from 
Him, and those whom He came to cure refused the 
mercy of the Physician, He left such as esteemed 



566 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



His presence to be a burden, and not a blessing. 
At all points the truth and the mystery of man's free 
wilt are ever making themselves seen. So also in 
listening to the prayers He teaches us, that to give a 
man what He prays for is not always a sign of love, 
but is oftentimes only a mark of the sinner's un- 
worthiness and inability to ask *or to receive aright. 
God knows that which is best for us ; and the 
prayer of humility and of sincerity will here be, Thy 
will be done. 

This prayer of the Gergesenes appears to have 
sprung from fear ; they dreaded future losses if 
our Blessed Lord should remain amongst them. 
They saw indeed that these men who had been pos- 
sessed by evil spirits were healed, but then they re- 
garded the loss of temporal possessions more than 
they esteemed the gain of spiritual blessings.' 
Though the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wis- 
dom, yet it is not enough for us to have fear ; we 
must have also a firm faith, and unhesitating confi- 
dence in God's goodness and mercy. W. D. 

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. 
For there is no power but of God : the powers that be 
are ordained of God— Romans, xiii. i. 

When I try to look into the mystery of my creation, 
I find that I have received my being for a twofold 
purpose ; to serve and to reign : to be in subjection 



POWER WEEK. 



567 



and to have dominion. I am born to two estates — 
a servant's and a king's, But of these two, one is 
mine absolutely, the other mine upon conditions. 
To a service I am bound by an absolute decree, 
whether I render it to Him to Whom it is due or to 
some other. A kingdom is also mine, but only if I 
serve God. Serve I must, reign I may. If I at- 
tempt to reign without serving God, I forfeit my ap- 
pointed Kingdom to His offended Majesty; but I 
do not cease to be a servant. By rebelling against 
the pow r er above me, I become not free of all power : 
I do but fall into captivity to the powers below me, 
even to those evil powers which do not willingly serve 
God, but yet are compeiled to serve Him, against 
their will, in fetters and in torments; and having no 
longer any will for. His service are trampled under 
foot of those that have. Before Adam fell, not only 
bad he dominion over all the works of God's hands, 
but moreover one little outward law was enough to 
remind him of his subjection to his Maker. But 
since the transgression of that one law, the Spirit of 
God has been continually striving with the children 
of men; and in merciful compassion to their weakness, 
has both diminished those natural powers of theirs 
which they are now so inclined to abuse, and also 
multiplied among them the token and representa- 
tions of His own power, setting over them laws and 
governments and relations of authority, parents, 



568 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTEK EPIPHANY, ETC, 



princes, magistrates, judges, teachers, spiritual pas- 
tors and masters. 

If thy delight then, O my soul, be i in thrones and 
bceptres if thou longest then after glory and hon- 
our and dominion and power, seek not these things 
in the paths of rebellion by resisting the powers set 
over thee, but seek them in the way of humility by 
submitting to every ordinance of man for the Lord's 
sake. The Lord of all these things was subject 
unto all, that He might bestow them all on thee. 
Be thou subject with Him : suffer patiently with 
Him now, and so shalt Thou reign gloriously with 
Him hereafter. Fear not lest submission expose 
thee to the storms of oppression, to the winds of the 
proud and the waves of the cruel. Thou servest 
One Whom even the winds and the sea obey Yea, 
the devils are subject unto Him. Dread nothing, 
therefore, but the desire of having thkie own way and 
doing thine own pleasure. For if thou yieldest to 
such desire thou art in danger of exchanging the ser- 
vice of Christ, for that of the flesh. And if thou so 
despisest thy birthright, and castest thyself out of 
His service and protection and becomest like the 
swine in His sight, then will thy fierce enemies, 
whom thou shouldst have trodden under thy feet, 
have permission to enter unto thee ; and all thy facul- 
ties and powers, being possessed of them, will run 
violently down the steep place of sin into the sea of 



POWER WEEK, 



569 



perdition, and perish in the waters of eternal 
death. . . . 

A /id, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea y 
insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves ; 
but He was asleep. — S. Matt. viii. , 24. 

Our Lord entered a ship with His disciples in 
order to show them, after witnessing His miracles on 
the land, His powers on the great deep. 

There arose a great tempest; the winds howled and 
whistled ; dark masses of cloud swept swiftly across 
the sky ; the waves, too, tossed up and rolled along, 
tipped with white foam ; the ship or small skiff -was 
hurled about as if in play by the wild waters, 
now resting upon the top of a wave, now diving 
down as into a gulf, now struck on one side, and 
now completely covered by the dashing and foaming 
waters. Amid all this noise and confusion of the 
elements, where was Jesus ? There is He, the 
model of innocence and purity, the Prince of Peace, 
asleep ! How does that little sentence come home 
to us as an image of the rest, the calm, the God- 
like peace and security, which rests around the holy 
Jesus ! Wherever He is, rage and tempest (existing) 
never so horribly, there is peace and rest. 

This narrative may be taken in two ways. I will 
consider first, the ship as a type of the Church, in 
which Jesus abides continually, and also with those 



570 



FOUKTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



His appointed ministers, the successors of His 
apostles. This ship, even His Church, is beset with 
dangers ; a mighty tempest is stirring up around it, 
the waters roar and are troubled, the mountains 
shake with the swelling thereof, mighty waves come 
sweeping up, dashing over the vessel ; and when 
they clear away we find some have been swept off, 
not able to withstand the trouble of the water, and 
are carried from the ship, even our Church, and 
we see them no more ; others are fearfully shaken 
and bruised by the rolling of the troubled vessel, 
but they cling to some bulwark ; they remember 
Who is in the ship, and they continue firmly clinging 
to her, knowing that if they quit her or suffer them- 
selves to be drawn from her, they quit Him, their 
beloved Lord and Master. He is only asleep, He 
is still mighty to save, His presence alone is a safe- 
guard, and He will awake ere we perish. The 
Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our 
refuge. 

I may consider this history in a more particular 
and individual way ; the ship, being a type of human 
life, — all the troubles, toils, cares, anxieties thereof, 
all our particular sins, errors, failings, and short- 
comings, being the tempest which rises up around 
us. Tossed about with doubt and difficulties, with 
perils of the body, and the dangers of the soul, 
there seems no help for us ; we must perish. Re- 



POWER WEEK. 



571 



Collect that Jesus is there; He is asleep, but still He 
is there ; and the contemplation of His calm, bliss- 
ful slumbers, ought to bring calm and peace to us. 
Look on Him, and be at peace. . . . 

Lord, save us ; we perish. And He saith unto 
them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith ? Then 
He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea ; and 
there was a great calm. — S. Matt. viii. 25, 26. 

The disciples became so terrified by the tempest, 
that they lost all command over themselves ; they 
went to Jesus, and hastily awaked Him, saying, 
6 Lord save us : we perish.' . . . Jesus rebuked 
this want of courage, saying, 1 Why are ye fearful, O 
ye of little faith ?' 

Who but their Creator could command the wind 
and seas, and bring them into obedience to His 
word ? He commandeth and raiseth the stormy 
wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof ; and again 
He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves 
thereof are still. ... I will pursue the image of the 
Church, set forth in this ship, tossed about. I will 
consider the numerous perils with which she is en- 
compassed; ' Wild thoughts within, bad men without; 
all evil spirits round about;' which in truth form a 
fearful tempest, and which, without the protecting 
power of the Most High, must assuredly overwhelm 
her. We must stand fast in the faith; we must call 



572 



POUETH SUNDAY APTEK EPIPHANY, ETC. 



upon the Lord, 6 Save us, we perish;' not in doubt, 
lest our ship, even the Church, should go to pieces, 
but lest we, her weak children, should be separated 
from her. If we can but abide firm while she is 
tossed in this world, we shall find that the mercy of 
our God will have commanded the winds and the 
sea, and there will be a great calm. . . . 

In the more particular application of this, I may see 
myself in the sea of troubles of this world, and toss- 
ed about with a tempest of cares, anxieties, doubts, 
and difficulties, but I prefer to consider the storm as 
that arising within myself; my sins, my negligences 
and ignorances toss me to and fro; even when all 
gross sins are overcome, the constantly occurring 
little specks and blemishes which arise, make me 
doubt whether God's mercy can extend to me. O 
ye of little faith ! do you forget that your Saviour is 
nigh? that He has taken thy sins upon Him; only 
apply His merits to thee; feed upon Him, pray to 
Him, supplicate Him; say, ' Lord save me ; I per- 
ish ' ; then He will allay the storm of doubts and dif- 
ficulties, and there will be a great calm. 

There met Him two possessed with devils, comi?ig 
out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man 
might pass that way. A?id, behold, they cried out, 
saying, What have ive to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou 
Sox of God ? Art Thou come hither to torment us 
before the time ? S. Matt. viii. 28, 29. 



POWER WEEK. 



573 



The two miserable wretches here described must 
have been wandering about the country, and both in 
body and mind, must have been so disordered as to 
be fearful to look upon ; they were so fierce and 
vindictive that no one durst approach them; but the 
devils knew, as Jesus approached, that their reign 
was coming to an end, and they cried out to Him 
expressing their apprehensions, but adding their un- 
hesitating testimony that He was Jesus, the Son of 
God. I may here observe the awful state of those 
who are entirely filled with sin, who, living among 
the tombs, are dead to all sense of better things, so 
that no man durst approach them. 

How inexpressibly loathsome is the description, 
and how horrible the thought that such prefer living 
with the corrupting, offensive and ghastly contents 
of tombs, even the defiling and horrible pursuits of 
sin ! and how dreadful are the words used to the 
merciful 'and living Saviour, Who has done, and is 
doing, such great things for them ! ' What have we 
to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of God ?■' Almost 
words of defiance! and uttered — horrible to think- 
to God ! How far more dreadful does sin appear 
when, in addition to its own defilements, it hurls 
words of scorn and defiance against Him Who died, 
Who shed that precious blood for them, Who came 
to them gentle, compassionate, loving, and even to 
the last, willing to open His arms and receive them 



674 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC, 



unto His bosom. When first Jesus appears before a 
desperate sinner, who has never known Him, the 
first thoughts of conversion are agony, all the devils 
by whom He is possessed become doubly active to 
retain their prey, they think the time is not yet come, 
and would willingly put it off to a more convenient 
season. My soul, consider this hideous picture, and 
never allow thyself in a single, even the very slightest 
error. One such spot unremoved, may enlarge and 
increase, until it becomes an open sore, large and 
wide enough to admit other sins and failings, until 
being entirely possessed by the * legion/ thou become 
exceeding fierce and cry out against that Saviour 
Who has done all to make thee pure and spotless. 
Set thyself in earnest to trace out one of thy deadly 
foes, and God will drive them out little by little, 
until not sin, but Himsel f shall reign over thee, 
here in the beginning and foretaste, hereafter in 
everlasting bliss, to which He, in His infinite mercy, 
bring me and all mine. Amen, 

So the devils besought Him, saying, If Thou cast 
us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. 
And he said unto them, Go. And when they were 
come out, they went into the herd of swine : 'Andy 
behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a 
steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters — S. 
Matt. viii. 31, 32. 

The devils asked to be allowed to go into the 



POWER WEEK. 



575 



swine, thereby implying their knowledge that Jesus 
had the power (and was going to execute it) of send- 
ing them from the unhappy men whom they had so 
long possessed. 

Observe that Jesus commands these evil spirits 
absolutely as their master ; they are forced to obey 
His word. The power of devils over us, as exem- 
plified in this history, is very awful and shocking to 
think on. The power of our blessed Saviour to 
restrain and to send them from us, is consoling and 
comforting; for we must not forget that the great 
enemy is allowed to go to and fro upon the earth ; 
he is a ramping and roaring lion, seeking whom he 
may devour. As lions are ready to spring upon 
their prey, and watch the opportunity of seizing 
them, when off their guard, and in fancied security ; 
so the devil is ever watching us, triumphing over 
our errors and omissions, and ready to pounce upon 
us if we are not armed with the shield of faith, and 
are not watchful to guard our souls from his most 
distant approaches. 

My soul, thou must not suffer thyself to be dis- 
mayed by the activity of thy great adversary ; but be 
watchful, be sober, and withstand all approaches of 
the enemy, by having thy loins girt about with truth, 
and having on the breast-plate of righteousness, and 
thy feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of 
peace. Above all, taking the shield of faith, where- 



576 FOURTH SUNDAY AFTEE EPIPHANY, ETC. 

with ye shall be able to quench the fiery darts of the 
wicked, and take the helmet of salvation, and the 
sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of Goo. 

Thus armed, and having Jesus always at thy side 
through continued recollectedness and constant devo- 
tion, thou wilt triumph over all the assaults of evil 
men and evil spirits, and withal wilt have a growing 
horror of all the deeds wrought by such wicked 
spirits, and so wilt more and more avoid all sight 
and mention of them. 

And) behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus : 
and when they saw Him, they besought Him that He 
would depart out of their coasts. S. Matt. viii. 34. 

When the swine perished in the sea, their keepers 
ran into the town, and spread the astonishing news 
of the cure of the two men, and of the destruction 
of their herd. 

The news of the loss of their property filled the 
people with alarm and indignation. 

How after considering this history, does that say- 
ing of our Blessed Lord's come home to me (How 
hardly shall they that have riches enter into the 
kingdom of God !) It is a fearful warning of the 
danger of worldly possessions, when a herd of swine 
could entirely turn away the eyes from discovering * 
a Saviour, even in the midst of His mighty works; 
and to all, even to those who are working to gain 
their daily bread, it is a lesson not to set their minds 



POWER WEEK. 



577 



too exclusively on any temporal employment, lest, 
when the Saviour is nigh to us, we know Him not, 
and beseech Him to depart from us. 

The only way to exclude too great carefulness of 
w r orldly things, is to offer all to God ; whether we 
eat, or whether we drink, or whatsoever we do, to 
do all f o His glory ; for whatsoever we do not give 
to God, will soon be seized by the devil; and we 
cannot serve two masters. M. A, 

The first of relations is that of a Parent; 
Duty to and here it will be necessary to consider 
Parents, the several sorts of Parents, according to 
which the duty of them is to be measured. 
These are these three, the Civil, the Spiritual, the 

Duties to the Natural. 
Supreme Mag is- The Civil Parent is he whom 
trate. God hath established as the Supreme 
Magistrate. . . This is the common father of all those 
that are under His authority. The duty we owe 
to this Parent is, first, Honour and Reverence, look- 
ing on Him as one upon whom God hath 
Honour. stamped much of His own power and 
authority, and therefore paying him all 
honour and esteem, never daring, upon any pretence 
whatsoever, to speak evil of the ruler of our people.— 
Acts xxiii. 5. 



57S 



FOURTH SUNDAY AF1EB EPIPHAXY, ETC. 



Secondly, paying Tribute: this is expressly 
Tribute, commanded by the Apostle, Rom. xiii. 6. 

Pay ye Tribute also, for they are God's 

ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 

Prayers for Thirdly, we are to pray for them; this 

them. is also expressly commanded by the 

Apostle, I. Tim. it, 2, to be done for Kings, and all 

that are in authority. . . . 

Fourth! v, we are to pay them obedi- 
Obedience. ' . 

ence. 1 his is likewise strictly charged 

by the Apostle, I. Pet. ii. 13, Submit yourselves to, 
every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether 
it be to the King, as Supreme, or unto Governors, as 
those that are sent by Him. We owe such an obe- 
dience to the supreme power, that whoever is au- 
thorized by Him, we are to submit to; and S. Paul 
likewise is most full to this purpose, Rom. xiii. r. 
Let every soul be subject to the higher powers. And 
again, verse 2, Whosoever resisteth the power, re- 
sisteth the ordinance of God. And it is observable, 
that these precepts were given at a time when those 
powers were heathens, and cruel persecutors of 
Christianity; to show us, that no pretence of the 
wickedness of our rulers can free us of our duty. 
An obedience we must pay either active or passive; 
the active in the case of all lawful commands; that 
is, whenever the magistrate commands something, 
which is not contrary to some command of God 



POWEE WEEK. 



579 



we are then bound to act according to that command 
of the magistrate, to do the thing he requires. But 
when he enjoins anything contrary to what God 
hath commanded, we are not then to pay him this 
active obedience; we may, nay, we must, refuse thus 
to act, (yet here we must be very well assured that 
the thing is so contrary, and not pretend conscience 
for a cloak of stubbornness,) we are in that case to 
obey God rather than man. But even this is a sea- 
son for the passive obedience, we must patiently 
suffer what he inflicts on us for such refusal, and 
not to secure ourselves, rise up against Him. For 
who can stretch his hand against the Lord's anointed 
and be guiltless ? says David to Abishai, I. Sam. 
xxvi. 9. and that at a time when David was under 
a great persecution from Saul, nay, had also the 
assurance of the kingdom after him; and S. Paul's 
sentence in this case is most heavy, Rom. xiii. 2. 
They that resist shall receive to themselves damna- 
tion. . . . 

The second sort of Parents are the Spiritual; 
that is, the ministers of the word, whether such as 



natural parents do to our bodies. Thus S. Paul 
tells the Corinthians, that in Christ Jesus he had be- 
gotten them through the Gospel \ I. Cor. iv. 15. and 



Duties to our 
Pastors, 



be governors in the church or others 
under them, who are to perform the 
same offices to our souls that our 



5S0 



FOUBTH SUNDAY AFTEB EPIPHANY, ETC. 



the Galatians, chap. iv. 19. that he travails in 

birth of them, till Christ be formed in them ; and 

again, I. Cor. iii. 2. He had fed them with milk, that is, 

such doctrines as were agreeable to that infant state 

of Christianity they were then in; but He had stronger 

meat for them of full age, Heb. v. 14. All these 

are the offices of a parent, and therefore they that 

perform them to us may well be accounted as such. 

Our duty tn these is, first, to love them, to bear 

^ them that kindness which belongs to those 

who do us the greatest benefits. This is 

required by S. Paul, I. Thess. v. 12, / beseech you, 

brethren, mark them which labour among you, and 

are over you in the Lord, and admonish you, and esteem 

them very highly in love for their work's sake. The 

work is such *s ought in all reason to procure them 

love, it being of the highest advantage to us. 

„ ; Secondly, it is our duty to value and esteem 
Esteem. J . v . 

them, as we see in the text now mentioned; 

and surely this is most reasonable, if we consider 
either die nature of their work or who it is that em- 
ploys them. The nature of their work is of all 
others the most excellent. We use to value other 
professions proportionably to the dignity and work 
of the things they deal in. Now surely there is no 
merchandize of equal worth with a soul; and this is 
their traffic, rescuing precious souls from perdition. 
And if we consider further, who it is that employs 



POWER WEEK. 



581 



them, it yet adds to the reverence due to them. 
They are Ambassadors for Christ, II. Cor. v. 20. 
and Ambassadors are by the laws of all nations to 
be used with a respect answerable to the quality of 
those that send them, Therefore Christ tells His 
disciples, when He sends them out to preach, He 
that despiseth you despiseih M e, and he that despiseth 
Me despiseth Him that sent Me, Luke x. 16. It seems 
there is more depends on the despising of ministers 
than men ordinarily consider ; it is the despising of 
God and Christ both. Let those think of this, who 
make it their pastime and sport to affront and deride 
this calling. And let those also, who dare presume 
to exercise the office of it, without being lawfully 
called to it, which is a most high presumption; it is as 
if a man of his own head should go as an ambassador 
from his prince. The apostle says of the priests of 
the law, which yet are inferior to those of the Gos- 
pel, That no man taketh this honour to himself, but 
He which was called of God, Heb. v. 4. How shall 
then any man dare to assume this greater honour to 
himself that is not called to it ? Neither will it suf- 
fice to say, they have the inward call of the Spirit; for 
since God hath established an order in the Church, for 
the admitting men to this office, they that shall take it 
upon them without that authority, resist that ordin- 
ance, and are but of the number of those thieves and 
robbers, as our Saviour speaks, John x. which come 



582 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



?iot in by the door. Besides, the sad experience of 
these times shows, that many who pretend most to 
this inward call of the Spirit, are called by some 
other spirit than that of God, the doctrines they 
vent, being usually directly contrary to that word of 
His, on which all true doctrines must be founded. 
Such are to be looked on as those seducers, those 
false prophets, whereof we are so often warned in the 
Epistles of the Apostles. And whosoever counte- 
nances them, 01 follows them, partakes with them in 
their guilt. Tt is recorded of Jeroboam, as a crying 
sin, that he made of the meanest of the people 
priests; that is, such as had by God's institution no 
right to it ; and whoever hearkens to these uncalled 
preachers, runs into that very sin ; for without the 
encouragement of being followed, they would not 
long continue in the course, and therefore they that 
give them that encouragement, have much to answer 
for, and are certainly guilty of the sin of despising 
their true pastors, when they shall thus set up their 
false apostles against them. 

This is a guilt this age is too mucn concerned in; 
God in His mercy so timely convinces us of it, as 
may put a stop to that confusion and impiety, which 
breaks in so fast upon us by it. 

Thirdly, We owe to them Mainten- 
Maintenance. ance ; but of this I have spoken al- 
ready in the first part of this book, 
and shall not here repeat. 



POWER WEEK. 



583 



Fourthly, We owe them Obedience. 
Obedience. Obey them, saith the Apostle, that have ihe 
rule over you, and submit yourselves, for 
they watch for your souls, Heb. xiiL 17. This obe- 
dience is to be paid them in spiritual things ; that is, 
whatsoever they out of God's word shall declare to 
us to be God's commands, these we are diligently to 
obey, remembering that it is not they but God re- 
quires it, according to that of Christ, He that hear- 
eth you heareth Me, Luke x. 16. And this, whether 
it be delivered by the way of public preaching, or 
private exhortation, for in both, so long as they keep 
them to the rule, which is God's Word, they are the 
Messengers of the Lord of Hosts, MaL ii, 7. This 
obedience the Apostle enforceth from a double mo- 
tive, one taken from their ministry, another from 
themselves. They watch, says he, for your souls, as 
they that must give an account, that they may do it with 
joy, and not with grief. The people are by their obe- 
dience to enable their pastors to give a comfortable 
account of their souls; and it is a most unkind return 
of all their care and labors, to be put to grief for the 
ill success of them. But then in the second place, 
it is their own concernment also ; they may put their 
ministers to the discomfort of seeing all their pains 
cast away, but themselves are like to get little by it, 
that ; says the Apostle, Heb. xiii. 17. will be unprofit- 
able for you ; it is yourselves that will finally prove 



584 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



the losers by it, you lose all those glorious rewards, 
which are offered as the crown of this obedience ; 
you get nothing but an addition to your sin and 
punishment; for as our Saviour tells the Pharisees, 
if He had not come and spoken to them, ihey had not 
had sin, John xv. 24. that is, in comparison with what 
they then had ; so certainly they that never had the 
Gospel preached to them, are much more innocent 
than they that have heard and resisted it. And 
for the punishment, what Christ told those to 
whom He had preached, that it should be 7nore toler- 
able for Tyre and Sidon, which were heathen cities, 
than for them, the same undoubtedly we may con- 
clude for ourselves. 

Lastly, we are to pray for them. This 
Prayers S. Paul everywhere requires of his spir- 
for them, itual children; thus Eph. vi. 19. having 
commanded prayers for all saints, he 
adds, And for me, tJiat utterance may be given unto me, 
that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the 
mystery of the Gospel ; and so again, Col. iv. 3. 
And this remains still a duty to these spiritual fathers, 
to pray for such assistances of God's Spirit to them, 
as may enable them rightly to discharge that holy 
calling. . . . 

The third sort of Parent is the 
tural P^rents 6 ^ ^^ur a], the fathers of our flesh, as 
the Apostle calls them, Heb. xii 



POwiHK WEEK. 



585 



9. And to these we owe our several du- 
ties ; as first, we owe them reverence and re- 
spect ; we must behave ourselves toward them with 
all humility and observance, and must not upon 
any pretence of infirmity in them despise or con- 
temn them, either in outward behaviour, or so 
much as inwardly in our hearts. It", indeed, they 
have infirmities, it must be our business to cover and 
conceal them; like Shem and Japheth, who, while 
cursed Ham published and disclosed the nakedness of 
their father, covered it, Gen. ix. 23. and that in such 
a manner too, as even themselves might not behold 
it. We are as much as may be to keep ourselves 
from looking on those nakednesses of our parents, 
which may tempt us to think irreverently of them. 
This is very contrary to the practice of too many 
children, who do not only publish and deride the 
infirmities of their parents, but pretend they have 
those infirmities they have not ; there is ordinarily 
such a pride and headiness in youth, that they can- 
not, abide to submit to the counsels and directions 
of their elders, and therefore to shake them off are 
willing to have them pass for the effects of dotage, 
when they are indeed the fruits of sobriety and 
experience. To such the exhortation of Solomon is 
very necessary, Prov. xxiii. 22. Hearken to thy father 
that begat thee^ and despise not thy mother ivhen she is 
old. . 1 . 



586 



FOUETH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



A second duty we owe to them is Love ; 
Love, we are to bear them a real kindness, such as 
may make us heartily desirous of all manner 
of good to them, and abhor to do anything that may 
grieve and disquiet them. . . . This love is to be 
expressed several ways, first, in all kindness of be- 
haviour, carrying ourselves not only with an awe and 
respect, but with kindness and affection; and, there- 
fore, most gladly and readily doing those things 
which may bring joy and comfort to them, and care- 
fully avoiding whatever may grieve and afflict them. 
Secondly, this love is to be expressed in praying for 
them. . . . 

He that eurseth father or mother, let him die the 
death, Exod. xxi. 17. And alas! our daily expe- 
rience tells us, it is not only possible but com- 
mon, even this of uttering curses. But it is to be 
feared, there is another yet more common, that is, 
the wishing curses, though fear or shame keep them 
from speaking out How many children are there 
that, either through impatience of the government or 
greediness of the possessions of the parents, have 
wished their deaths ? But whoever doth so, let him 
remember, that how slily and fairly soever he carry 
it before men, there is one that sees those secretest 
wishes of his heart, and in His sight he assuredly 
passes for this heinous offender, a curser of his pa- 
rents. And then let it be considered, that God hath 



POWER WEEK. 



587 



as well the power of punishing, as of seeing ; and, 
therefore, since He hath pronounced death to be the 
reward of that sin, it is not unreasonable to expect 
He may Himself inflict it ; that they who watch for 
the death of their parents, may untimely meet 
with their own. The fifth Commandment prom- 
iseth long life as the reward of honouring the parents, 
to which it is very agreeable that untimely death be 
the punishment of the contrary, and sure there is 
nothing more highly contrary to that duty, than this 
we are now speaking of, the cursing our Parents. 

The third duty we owe to them is obe- 
Obedience, dience ; this is not only contained in the 
fifth commandment, but expressly en- 
joined in other places of Scripture, Ephes. vi. i. 
Children, obey your Parents in the Lord, for this is 
right j and again Col. iii. 20. Children, obey your 
Parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the 
Lord. We owe them an obedience in all things, 
unless when their commands are contrary to the 
commands of God, for in that case our duty to God 
must be preferred ; and, therefore, if any parent 
shall be so wicked as to require his child to steal, to 
lie, or to do any unlawful thing, the child then of- 
fends not against his duty, though he disobeys that 
command ; nay, he must disobey, or else he offends 
against a higher duty, even that he owes to God his 
Heavenly Father. Yet when it is thus necessary to 



588 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY ETC. 



refuse obedience, he should take care to do it in 
such a modest and respectful manner, that it may 
appear it is conscience only, and not stubbornness, 
moves him to do it. 

But of all the acts of disobedi- 

Especially- in their ence, that of marrying against 
Marriage, the consent of the Parent is one 
of the highest. Children are so 
much the goods, the possession of their Parent, that 
they cannot, without a kind of theft, give away them- 
selves without the allowance of those that have the 
right in them ; and therefore, we see under the law, 
the Maid that hath made any vow was not suffered to 
perfor??i it, without the consent of the Parent, Numb, 
xxx. 5. The right of the Parent was thought of 
force enough to cancel and make void the obligation, 
even of a vow ; and, therefore, surely it ought to be 
so much considered by us as to keep us from mak- 
ing any such, whereby that right is infringed. 

A fourth duty to the Parent, is to 
Ministering to assist and minister to them in all 
their Wants, their wants of what kind soever, 
whether . weakness and sickness of 
body, decayedness of understanding, or poverty and 
lowness in estate ; in all these the child is bound, 
according to his ability, to relieve and assist them ; 
for the two former, weakness of body, and infirmity 
of mind, none can doubt of »he duty, when they 



POWEE WEEK. 



589 



remember how every child did in his infancy receive 
the very same benefit from the Parents ; the child 
had then no strength to support, no understanding 
to guide itself ; the care of the Parents was fain to 
supply both these to it ; and, therefore, in common 
gratitude, whenever either of these becomes the 
Parent's case, as sometimes by great age, or some 
accident both do, the child is to perform the same 
offices back again to them. As for that of relieving 
their poverty, there is the very same obligation to 
that with the former, it being but just to sustain thy 
Parent who has formerly sustained thee ; but besides 
this, Christ Himself teaches us, that this is con- 
tained within the precept of honouring their Parents ; 
for when, Mark vii. 13. Pie accuses the Pharisees 
of rejecting the commandment of 'God, to cleave to their 
oum traditions, He instances in this particular con- 
cerning the relieving of Parents, whereby it is mani- 
fest that this is a part of that duty which is enjoined 
in the fifth Commandment, as you may see at large 
in the text, and such a duty it is, that no pretence 
can absolve or acquit us of it. . . . 

To this that hath been said of the duty of children 
to their Parents, I shall add only this ; that no tin- 
kindness, no fault of the Parent, 

Duty to be paid can acquit the child of this 
even to the worst duty ; but as S. Peter tells ser- 
of Parents. vants, I. Pet. ii. 18. that they 

must be subject, not only to the 



590 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



good and gentle masters, but also to the froward; so 
certainly it belongs to children to perform duty, not 
only to the kind and virtuous, but even to the harsh- 
est, and wickedest Parent. 

On the other side there are 
Duty of Pa7'ents other things also due from the 
to Children. Parents to the Child, and that 
throughout the several states 

and ages of it. 

First, There is the care of nourishing and sustain- 
ing it, which begins from the very 
To nourish birth, and continues a duty from the 
them. Parent, till the child be able to per- 
form it to himself ; this is a duty which 
nature teaches ; even the savage beasts have a great 
care and tenderness in nourishing their young, and 
therefore may serve to reproach and condemn all 
parents who shall be so unnatural as to neglect this. 
I shall not here enter into the question, whether the 
mother be obliged to give the child its first nourishment ', 
by giving it suck herself, because it will not be possi- 
ble to affirm universally in the case, there being 
many circumstances which may alter it, and make it 
not only lawful, but best not to do it; all I shall say 
is, that where no impediment of sickness, weakness, 
or the like does happen, it is surely best for the 
mother herself to perform this orifice, there being 
many advantages to the child by it, which a good 



POWEE WEEK. 



591 



mother ought so far to consider, as not to sell theni 
to her own sloth, or niceness, or any such unworthy- 
motive ; for when such only are the grounds of for- 
bearing it, they will never be able to justify the 
omission, they being themselves unjustifiable. 

But besides the first care which belongs to the 
body of the child, there is another, which should 

begin near as early, which belongs to 
Bring them heir souls, and that is the bringing 
to Baptism, them to the Sacrament of Baptism, 

thereby to procure them an early right 
to all those precious advantages, which that Sacra - 
ment conveys to them, This is a duty the Parents 
ought nor to delay, it being most reasonable that 
they who have been instruments to convey the stain 
and pollution of sin to the poor infant, should be 
very earnest and industrious to have it washed off 
as soon as may be ; besides, the life of so tender a 
creature is but a blast, nnd many times gone in a 
moment ; and though we are not to despair of God's 
mercy to those poor children, who die without bap- 
tism, yet surely those Parents commit a great fault 
by whose neglect it is that they want it. 

Secondly, the Parents must provide for the educa- 
tion of the child ; they must, as Solomon 
Educate speaks, Prov. xxii, 6. Train up the child in 
them. the way he should go. As soon therefore 
as children come to the sense of reason, 



592 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



thpy are to be instructed, and that first in those 
things which concern their eternal well being ; they 
are, by little and little, to be taught ail those things 
which God hath commanded them as their duty to 
perform ; as also what glorious rewards He hath 
provided for them, if they do it, and what grievous 
and eternal punishment if they do it not. These 
things ought, as early as is possible, to be instilled 
into the minds of children, which (like urn vessels) 
do usually keep the flavour of that which is first put 
into them ; and therefore it nearly concerns all 
Parents to look they be at first thus seasoned with 
virtue and religion. It is sure if this be neglected 
there is one at hand to fill them with the contrary ; 
the devil will be diligent enough to instil into them 
all wickedness and vice, even from their cradles ; 
and there being also in all our natures so much the 
greater aptness to evil than to good, there is need of 
great care and watchfulness to prevent those endeav- 
ours of that enemy of souls, which can no way be, 
but by possessing them at first with good things, 
breeding in them a love to virtue, and a hatred of 
vice ; that so when the temptations come, they may 
be armed against them. 

The children of those who call themselves Chris- 
tians are frequently as ignorant of God and 
Christ, as the merest heathens. But whoever they 
are'that thus neglect this great duty, let them know 



POWEE WEEK. 



593 



that it is not only a fearful misery they bring 
upon their poor children, but also a horrible guilt 
upon themselves. For as God says to the care- 
less watchman Ezek. iii, 18. That if any soul 
perish by his negligence, thai soul shall be required at 
his hands j so surely will it fare with all Parents who 
have this office of watchman intrusted to them by 
God over their own children. A second part of 
education is the bringing them up to some employ- 
ment, busying them in some honest exercise, whereby 
they may avoid that great snare of the devil, idle- 
ness ; and also be taught some useful art or trade, 
whereby when they come to age, they may become 
profitable to the commonwealth, and able to get an 
honest living to themselves. 

To this great duty of educat- 

Means towards ing of children there is required 
the Education of as means, first, encouragement : 
Children. secondly, correction. Encour- 

agement is first to be tried : we 
should endeavor to make children in love with duty, 
by offering them rewards, and invitations, and when- 
ever they do well, take notice of it, and encourage 
them to go on. 

The second means is correction, and this becomes 
seasonable, when the former will do no good, when 
all fair means, persuasions, and encouragements pre- 
vail not, then there is a necessity of using sharper ; 



594 FOUETH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC, 

and let that first be tried in words, I mean not by 
railing and foul language, but in sober, yet sharp 
reproof ; but if that fail too, then proceed to blows ; 
and in this case, as Solomon says, He thai spareth 
his rod, hateth his son. Pro v. xiii. 24. It is a cruel 
fondness, that to spare a few stripes at present, will 
adventure him to those sad mischiefs, which com- 
monly befall the child, that is left to himself. But 
then this correction must be given in such a manner, 
as may be likely to do good ; to which purpose it must 
first be given timely ; the child must not be suffered 
to run on in any ill tili it hath got a habit and a stub- 
bornness too. Secondly, correction must be moderate, 
not exceeding the quality of the fault, nor the 
tenderness of the child. Thirdly, it must not be 
given in rage, if it be, it will not only be in danger 
of being immoderate, but it will lose its effect upon 
the child, who will think he is corrected not because 
he has done a fault, but because his Parent is angry, 
and so will rather blame the Parent than himself, 
whereas on the contrary, care should be taken to 
make the child as sensible of the fault, as of the smart, 
without which he will never be thoroughly amended. 

Thirdly, after children 
The Parent to watch are grown up, and are past 
aver their Souls even when the age of education, there 
they are grown up. are yet other offices for the 

Parent to perform to them ; 



POWER "WEEK. 



595 



the Parent is still to watch over them, in respect to 
their souls, to observe how they practice those pre- 
cepts which are given them in their education, and 
accordingly to exhort, encourage, or reprove, as they 
find occasion. 

So also for their outward estate, they are to put 

them into some course of living in 
To provide for the world ; if God have blessed 
their Subsistence, the Parent with wealth, according 

to what he hath he must distribute 
to his children, remembering that since he was the 
instrument of bringing them into the world, he is, 
according to his ability, to provide for their comfor- 
table living in it; they are, therefore, to be looked 
on as very unnatural Parents who, so they may have 
enough to spend in their own riots and excess, care 
not what becomes of their children, never thinking 
of providing for them. Another fault, is usual 
among Parents in this business ; they defer all the 
provisions for them till themselves be dead ; heap up, 
perhaps, great matters for them against that time, but 
in the meantime afford them not such a competency, 
as may enable them to live in the world. There are 
several mischiefs come from this ; First, it lessens 
the child's affection to his Parents, nay, sometimes 
it proceeds so far, as to make him wish his death : 
which, though it be such a fault as no temptation 
can excuse in a child, yet it is also a great fault in 



596 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTEK EPIPHANY, ETC. 



a Parent, to give that temptation. Secondly, it puts 
the child upon shifts and tricks, many times dis- 
honest ones, to supply his necessities ; that is, I 
doubt not, a common effect of it ; the hardness of 
Parents has often put men upon very unlawful 
courses, which when they are once acquainted with, 
perhaps they never leave, though the first occasion 
cease ; and therefore, Parents ought to beware how 
they run them upon those hazards. Besides, the 
Parent loses that contentment which he might have 
in seeing his children live prosperously and com- 
fortably, which none but an arrant earth-worm 
would exchange for the vain imaginary pleasure of 
having money in his chest. But in his business of 
providing for children, there is yet another thing to 
be heeded, and that is, that the Parent get that 
wealth honestly which he makes their portion, else it 
is very far from being a provision : there is such a 
curse goes along with an ill-gotten estate, that he that 
leaves such a one to his child, doth but cheat and 
deceive him, makes him believe that he has left him 
wealth, but has withal put such a canker in the 
bowels of it, that is sure to eat it out. This is so 
common an observation, that I need say nothing to 
confirm the truth of it ; would God it were as gen- 
erally laid to heart as it seems to be generally taken 
notice of ; then surely Parents would not account it 
a reasonable motive to unjust dealing, that they may 



POWETl WEEK. 



597 



thereby provide for their children, for this is not a 
way of providing for them ; nay, it is the way to 
spoil them of whatever they have lawfully gathered 
for them ; the least mite of unlawful gain being of 
the nature of leaven, which sours the whole lump, 
bringing down curses upon all a man possesseth. 
Let all Parents, therefore, satisfy themselves with 
such provisions for their children as God shall 
enable them honestly to make, assuring themselves, 
how little soever it be, it is abetter portion than 
the greatest wealth unjustly gotten; according to 
that of Solomon, Prov. xvi. 8. Better is a little with 
righteousness, than great revenue without right. 

A further thing the parent owes to the child is 
good example, he is not only to set 
To give them him rules of virtue and Godliness, 
good Example, but he himself to give him a pattern in 
his own practice ; we see the force 
of example is infinitely beyond that of precept, 
especially where the person is one to whom we bear 
a reverence, or with whom we have a continual con- 
versation ; both which usually meet in a Parent. 

A fifth duty of Parents is blessing their children ; 
the way of doing this is double first, by 
To bless their prayer ; they are by daily and earnest 
them, prayers to commend them to God's pro- 
tection and blessing, both for their spirit- 
ual and temporal estate ; and secondly, by their 



598 



FOUBTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



piety ; they are to be such persons themselves as 
that a blessing may descend from them upon their 
posterity. 

Sixthly, Parents must take heed, that they use 
their power over their children 
To give no un- with equity and moderation, not 
reasonable co??i- to oppress them with unreason- 
mands. able Commands, only to exercise 

their own authority, but in all 
things of weight to consider the real good of their 
children, and to press them to nothing which may 
not consist with that. W. D. M. 

THE DUTIES OF MASTERS. 
S. Matthew viii, 9. 

- I say to this man, go, and he goeth, and to an- 
other come, and he cometh ; and to my servant, do 
thic, and he doeth it.' 

Whenever any one is brought in contact with any 
one else, at once a duty springs into existence. 
Thus, when a baby is born, at once duties fall on 
the shoulders of the father and mother. When a 
child begins to have a little sense, at once duties 
devolve on it towards its father and mother, and 
brothers and sisters. Every one who has a friend, 
has duties which he owes to his friend ; the moment 
a neighbor comes next door, he brings with him 
duties which he owes to you, and you to him. 



POWER WEEK* 



599 



Every man who employs another man, every 
woman who employs another woman, owes duties to 
the person employed. 

If you take many men into your service, and have 
young women in your house to act as cook, and 
house-maid, and nurse, and kitchen-maid, and dairy- 
maid, and so on, then you have certain responsibili- 
ties. The welfare, the conduct of those persons in 
your service, are to a certain extent controlled by 
you, and to the same extent as their welfare and 
conduct are under your control, to that extent 
stretches your responsibility. You are not, of course, 
equally responsible for the household servant, and 
for the woman whom you occasionally employ to 
weed the turnips. That stands to reason. You do 
not owe the same to the boy you employ once in a 
way to drive away the crows from the new sown 
field, and to the man who has been for twenty years 
daily working for you. That stands to reason. 

These are some of the duties which employers 
owe to those who are in their service :— i. To act 
with justice towards their servants. That is to say, 
to give them a fair wage, a fair amount of work, and 
not to accuse them wrongfully or hastily. 

Now what regulates the wage ? That is difficult 
to answer, because many causes tend to raise or de- 
press it, and justly to raise or depress it. 

Suppose a farm brings in one year such and such 



600 



FOUBTH SUNDAY AFTEB EPIPHANY, ETC. 



a sum, clear profit, say ^500, and next year through 
bad harvests, there is a dead loss on it of ^250, it 
is clear that a farmer must strike a balance, and 
allow for losses, and pay wage justly according as 
the balance stands. 

So again, people with small incomes may not be 
able to keep many servants at high wages ; they are 
bound to pay those servants whom they do employ 
such wage as is a fair equivalent for their work. 

No employer has any right to take an unfair ad- 
vantage of the need of the person employed, so as 
to strike a hard bargain. Hereabouts many poor 
widows and girls work at tailoring. From what I 
hear, the sums paid are unfair. They do not justly 
represent the amount of work done. Where the 
blame lies, it is hard to point out. The employers 
who give them the coats to make, at from yd. to is. 
4d. a coat, they to find their own cotton, &c, sell no 
doubt those coats in the town at a very low price* 
They clear a certain profit, but that is only reason- 
able. If they paid more for the making of the coats, 
they would clear the same profit, but the buyers 
would pay dearer for them. What I think should be 
done would be for these employers to fix a fair price 
for making the garments, a fair rate of profit for 
themselves, and then sell them for what they can 
afford. Whether their profit is exhorbitant or not, I 
cannot tell without looking at their books. 



POWER WEEK. 



601 



Then again, masters and mistresses are bound not 
to be hasty in accusing their servants rightly or 
wrongly, to be patient with them, and allow some- 
thing for their infirmities. 

Of course it would not be just for a master or 
mistress to allow the work of the farm or the house 
to be done in a slovenly and imperfect manner, for 
that is allowing the servant to act unjustly towards 
his or her employer, and to contract a bad habit. 

2. Employers are bound to act with consideration 
towards their servants. 

That is, to take pains that they should not be over- 
worked, that they should be given relaxation and 
amusements. They should not be harsh and tyran- 
nical towards them ; if they are ill, they should do 
what they could to relieve them of their work ; they 
should provide that they may have intellectual im- 
provement, and see that they do not contract waste- 
ful habits with regard to their wage, if they have an 
opportunity of so advising them. 

Servant girls once on a time used to dress quietly 
and lay by their money in savings-banks^ so that it 
mounted up, and when they married or grew old, they 
had a nice round sum to fall back on. And let me 
tell you, a young man would much rather that his 
wife brought him a sum enough to furnish the house 
with her savings, than a set of band-boxes, with silk 
bonnets, and grand flounced gowns, with just a 
ha'penny in her pocket. 



602 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



A mistress may do much to advise a young girl to 
adopt a prudent course with her wage, and not to 
put it all on her head and back, and if she considers 
the welfare of the girl in her charge, she will do so. 

Again, masters and mistresses should learn to bear 
with their servants' frailties, and not be too hasty to 
give them notice. Considerations for their weakness 
will make the employer overlook little faults, and a 
gentle reprimand will often be found to answer, in 
place of a hasty notice to be off. 

I remember my dear old father, now no more, and 
his coachman, having their little recurring troubles 
with one another. The faithful servant who had 
been with us since he was a child, every now and 
then took a drop too much, and his driving was 
sometimes dangerous to carriage and its occupants. 

Then my father getting very much troubled, would 
take a day to think the matter over, and be very 
silent, for his thought was on the affair, and he would 
be making up his mind to part with his coachman. 
At last he screwed up courage to give him notice, 
and sent for him to his library. Richard knew well 
enough why he was sent for, and came looking mis- 
erable. 

My father would gravely speak of the offence, and 
how it had imperilled lives, and then say that he was 
very sorry, but part they must. 

Richard's eyes would fill, and he would stammer 



POWER WEEK. 



603 



forth his sorrow, and then fairly break down, and 
thereupon all my father's resolution and courage 
would melt away, his eyes filled also; and it ended, 
' Well, — I suppose we neither of us can bear to part 
from the other, so you really, Richard, must try to 
overcome your bad habit.' 

3. Employers are bound to give their servants 
time to perform their religious obligations. 

That is, it is their duty to arrange for their ser- 
vants going to church, on Sundays and other Festi- 
vals, and to give them opportunities, if they are com- 
municants, to receive the Blessed Sacrament ; if they 
are unconfirmed; it is their duty to give them oppor- 
tunities for attending classes in which they may be 
prepared for Confirmation. 

They should watch for their spiritual welfare, do 
all in their power to keep them from bad associates, 
and instil into their hearts the spirit of religion. 

They must be careful to set them a good example 
of Church-going, of orderliness, alacrity, cheerful- 
ness, quietness, and the like. The example of mas- 
ter or mistress goes a long way towards forming the 
character of their younger servants. 

4. And lastly, Employers should remember that 
they owe a debt of gratitude to their servants. Let 
them forget the imperfections, and consider the many 
good qualities their servants possess; they are, I 
dare say, thoroughly trustworthy, and serve you 



604: FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 

honestly and uprightly. They are up early and work 
late for you, and their service is often a kindly, wil- 
ling one. The wage will not pay for that, for the 
cheerful smile, the nimbleness in executing a com- 
mission, the readiness to relieve a mistress from solici- 
tude when she is ill, the diligence when the master 
is far away. The bond uniting master and servant 
should not be a mercenary one ; the servants become 
in a manner part of your family, and some of the 
affection you lavish on your children is due to them 
also. Regard them as hirelings, and they will look 
on you only as paymaster. 

THE DUTIES OF SERVANTS. 
Romans xiii, 7. 

^ Render— lo all their dues; tribute to whom tribute is 
due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; 
honour to who??i honour, 1 

There are several passages in Scripture, in which 
the duties of servants are laid down. 

S. Paul, in the sixth chapter to the Ephesians 
writes, ' Servants, be obedient to them that are your 
masters according to the flesh, with fear and tremb- 
ling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ ; 
not with eye-service, as men-pieasers ; but as the 
servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the 
heart; with good will doing service, as to the Lord, 
and not to men ; knowing that whatsoever good 



POWER WEEK. 



C05 



thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of 
the Lord.' 

And again, in his Epistle to S. Titus, in the second 
chapter, S. Paul writes, ' Exhort servants to be obe- 
dient to their own masters, and to please them well 
in all things ; not answering again ; not purloining, 
but showing all good fidelity; that they may adorn 
the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things/ 

And again, in his first Epistle to S. Timothy, and 
the sixth chapter, ' Let as many servants as are un- 
der the yoke count their own masters worthy of all 
honour, that the name of God and His doctrines be 
not blasphemed. And they that have believing mas- 
ters, let them not despise them, because they are 
brethren; but rather do them service, because they 
are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit-' 

It is a very beautiful and touching thought for 
masters, that in their servants they can reverence 
the person of Christ ; for wheresoever a member of 
Christ is, there is Christ. 

So S. Paul, in one of the passages I have quoted^ 
bids the servants do glad service to their masters, 
as to the Lord. 

What a beautiful link there would be between 
masters and servants if each saw Christ in the other; 
what solicitude there would be in one for the other ? 
What conscientious discharge of duties on both 
sides ? 



606 



FOUKTH SUNDAY AFTEE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



There is something peculiarly honourable and 
blessed in the work of a servant ; for is not he or 
she occupying the position adopted by Jesus Christ ? 
4 He made Himself of no reputation, and took upon 
Him the form of a servant/ 

The duties of servants towards their masters 
are, — 

1 . Not to wrong their master in his goods^ by ap- 
propriating them, or giving them to others, or care- 
lessly injuring or wasting them. 

2. Servants are bound to prevent others from de- 
frauding their employers. 

3. Another duty is to be active, industrious, and 
cheerful. 

\ Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with 
thy might,' says the Preacher; Work done should 
be thorough, service rendered with 6 good will, as to 
the Lord,' 'not with eye-service, as men-pleasers, 
but as the servants of Christ/ Let the work be 
conscientiously done. 

Another duty is obedience without gainsaying. S. 
Paul says, 'Not answering again/ 

I admit that masters and mistresses are most ag- 
gravating at times, finding fault unreasonably, crofs- 
tempered, given to scold, scold, scold, from morning 
till night ; and it is very hard to control the tongue, 
and not give them in turn a bit of one's mind. 

But servants who know how to control their 



POWEK WEEK. 



607 



tongues and tempers before an aggravating employer, 
have acquired not only one of those things which, 
in the higher classes, is taught with great labour to 
young people, but also have acquired one of those 
virtues which brings them very near to Christ their 
model. 

5. There is one more duty to masters, respect. 
- "Render/ says S. Paul, - to all their dues ; — custom 
to whom custom ; fear to whom fear ; honour to 
whom honour/ 

Masters and mistresses are invested with some of 
Christ's authority. 4 The powers that be,' says S. 
Paul, 'are ordained of God.' All authority issues 
from Christ ; the highest and the lowest. And the 
servant who is respectful recognises in his master 
that authority with which he has been invested by 
God. S. B. G. 

DO YOUR DUTY AND TRUST IN GOD. 
There is a little town called Feldkirch, on the 
frontier of Austria, on the 111, an affluent of the 
Rhine. . . In the year 1799, when the armies of Na- 
poleon were sweeping over the Continent, Massena, 
one of his generals, suddenly appeared on the heights 
above the town at the head of jS,ooo men. It was 
Easter Day, and the morning sun as it rose glittered 
on the weapons of the French, at the top of the 
range of hills to the west of Feldkirch. The 



608 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



town council hastily assembled to consult what was 
to be done. Defence was impossible. Should a 
deputation be sent to Massena with the keys 
of the town, and an entreaty that he treat the 
place with mercy ? Then the old Dean of the Church 
stood up. 'It is Easter Day,' he said, Sve have 
been reckoning our own strength, and that fails. It 
is the day of the Lord's Resurrection. Let us ring 
the bells, and have service as usual, and leave the 
matter in God's hands/ His words prevailed. Then, 
all at once, from the three or four church towers in 
Feldkirch the bells began to clang joyous peals in 
honour of the Resurrection, and the streets filled with 
worshippers hastening to the house of God. The 
French heard with surprise and alarm the sudden 
clamour of joy-bells; and concluding that the Aus- 
trian army had arrived in the night to relieve the 
place, Massena suddenly broke up camp, and be- 
fore the bells ceased ringing, not a Frenchman was 
to be seen. S. BG. 

Readings. — Gen. vi. 5 and fob Isa. xlv. 10-25. 
lvu.lvui. lix.lxi.lxii i-tq. Jer. xxxi 31-35. S. Matt, 
iv. 1-12. viii. 18 and fol. vs. S. Mark iv. 35 to end. 
x. 10-28. xii. 28-41. S. Luke iv. ix. 57-62, xii, 
10-32. S. John. iii. 1-23. vi. Rom. vii. 14-25. xi.ii. 
i-n. I Cor. vii. 1-24. II Cor. I. 8-23. Ephes. iv. 
1-13. Phil. 1. 1-19. Col. iii. 15-23. I S. Tim. ii. 



PQWEB WEEK. 



609 



1-8. II S. Tim. iii. Heb. v. 1-8. 7-21. S. James v. 

Articles, ix. x. xi. xii. xiii xiv. xv. xvi. xviii. 
xix. xx. xxiii. xxvi. xxxvii. xxxix. Homilies on "The 
Misery of All Mankind," "The Salvation of All 
Mankind," "Obedience," and "Against Disobe-^ 
dience and Wilful Rebellion." 

Of the unity and eternity and power of God. 

Gen. I. 1. Ex. iii. 14. Deut. vi. 4. xxxii. 39. 
Job ix. 19, xii. 9. xiv. 4. xxiii. 13. xxv. 3. xxxvi. 22. 
xxxviii. 4. Isa. xl. 28. xliii. 11, 25. xliv. 6, 24. xiv. 
18, 21. xlvi. 9. xlviii. 12. lvii. 15. Dan. iv. 34. Mai. 
iii. 6. Ecclus. 1. 8. xviii. 1 xxiv. 5. xliii. 31. Rom. 
xi. 33. Rev. 1. 8. xxii. 13 

Of obedience and its commendation. 

Gen. xii. 4. xvii. 23. xxi. 14. xxii. 3, 16. xxiv. 45. 
xxviii. 6. Num. xxxii. 25. Deut. xxviii. 1. xxix. 9. 
xxx. 2. Josh, x, i2, 13. xi. 15. Judges, viii. 24, 25. 
I. Sam. iii. 5, 16. xv. 22. I Kings xix. 19. Esth. ii. 

20. Pb. cxix. 4. Prov, xiii. 13. xix. 16. Eccles. 
viii. 5. Isa. xi. 14. xx. 2. Iviii. 13. Ecclus. iii. 1. 
I Mace. ii. 65. viii. 16. S. Matt. xxi. 31. xxiii. 3. 
S. Luke ii. 51. Acts. v. 29. ix 6. Rom. v. 19. xiii. 
1. I Cor. xi. 2. Ephes. vi. 1. Col. iii. 20. II 
Thes. iii. 4, 14. I. Tim. iii. 4. Tit. iii. 1. Philem. 

21. Heb. xi. 8. xiii. 17. I S. Pet. 1. 14, 22. ii. 13. 
iii. 6. v. 5. 

Against those who will not be subject to others, and 
thus imitate the deviL 



610 



FOUETH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC, 



I Sam. xv. 22. Prov. i. 24. Isa. xiv. 13. xvi. 6. 
Hos. iv. 4. Eph. v. 21. Phil. ii. 2. S. A. A. 

SUBMISSION AND TRUST. 

Remember it is the will of a wise God that we 
submit ourselves,- — Who has His eternal reasons for 
the events He prepares for us, — Who sees the 
various uses for the situations in which He places 
us, — Who does nothing hap-hazard, and Who knows 
the results before He has taken His measures. 

We may, indeed, be uneasy about the situations 
we prepare for ourselves, for we do not know our- 
selves well enough to decide what is best suited for 
us, and in our choice we usually consult the interest 
of our passions more than those of our soul. 

But the Christian, submissive to God's will, is 
comforted by knowing the Wisdom of Him in Whom 
he trusts. 'God has His reasons,' says he, 'for plac- 
ing me in this situation, and, though they are un- 
known to me, they are none the less wise and adora- 
ble. I must not measure His incomprehensible 
views by my poor limited knowledge. I cannot see 
where the ways by which He is guiding me will lead. 
But, since His hand has traced them, I have but to 
walk without fear/ 

He often leads to the Promised Land by circuit- 
ous routes and over barren deserts, and almost al- 
ways conceals His ways to leave us all the merit of 
Submission and Trust. E. B. 



POWER WEEK. 



611 



STILLING THE TEMPEST. 
Lord, Thou didst arise and say- 
To the troubled waters, ' Peace ! ' 
And the tempest died away, 

Down they sank, the foaming seas ; 
And a calm and heavenly sleep 
Spread o'er all the glassy deep ; 
All the azure lake serene 
Like another heaven was seen ! 

Lord, Thy gracious word repeat 
To the billows of the proud ! 
Quell the tyrant's martial heat, 

Quell the fierce and changing crowd ! 
Then the earth shall find repose 
From its restless strife and woes ; 
And an imaged heaven appear 
On our world of darkness here. 

A. G. 

Psalms, ii. xci. xcii. xciii. xcv. cxxxi. 4th selec. 

Anthems. Any Text in the Words for the Week. 

Hymns. 34, 39,44. 45> 6 7> 110,126, 146, 202, 
203, 232, 265, 266, 267, 268, 285, 333, 338, 349, 
39i. 393> 397, 39 8 , 399, 402, 403, 408, 410, 411, 414, 
424, 427, 477, 485, 502, 506,512, 514, 516, 531,532. 

Collects. 1st, 3d and 4th in, Sundays in Ad. 



612 



FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Epiph. i st and 3rd af. Epiph. Conv. S. Paul, Sex # 
2d in Lent 1st 7th 9th af. Trin. S. Thomas. Holy- 
Innocents. S. Peter. S. Matthew. 3rd End of C. 0. 

He is Lord of lords, ^;^/ King of kings. Rev. xvii. 
14. 

All hail the power of Jesus' name ! 

Let angels prostrate fall ; 
Bring forth the royal diadem, 

And crown Him Lord of all. 

Crown Him, ye martyrs of our God, 

Who from His altar call ; 
Extol the stem of Jesse's rod. 

And crown Him Lord of all. 

Hail Him, the Heir of David's line, 

Whom David, Lord did call ; 
The God Incarnate ! Man divine ! 

And crown Him Lord of all. 

Ye seed of Israel's chosen race, 

Ye ransomed of the fall, 
Hail Him Who saves you by His grace, 

And crown Him Lord of all. 

Sinners, Whose love can ne'er forget 
The wormwood and the gall, 



POWER WEEK. 



Go, spread your trophies at His feet, 
And crown Him Lord of all. 

Let every kindred, every tribe, 

On this terrestrial baii, 
To Him all majesty ascribe, 

And crown Him Lord of alL 



THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY 
AC, OR PRESERVATION WEEK. 



A bone of him shall not be broken.—] ohn xix. 36. 

Strike hard, ye ruthless soldiers ; let the bones 
Crack with your iron strokes. A livid line 

Responds to every blow ? 

And purple jets of blood< 

Strike hard; for one repentance scorns, and Hell 
May well begin. The other meekly bears, 

And hastens to rejoin 

His Lord in Paradise. 

But touch not the Anointed; for the Lamb 
Pierced, bruised, and slain, is under Angel's care; 

And not the slightest bone 

Of Him shall ever break. 

Hold off! for sure your worst is done, your all. 

Are you not satisfied ? Behold the marks 
Of scourge, and nails, and blows, 
And your mock crown of thorns. 
615 



616 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTEE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Thus far; no farther; dash your angry waves; 
The Rock of Ages bounds you; and henceforth 

All honour to the Dead, 

Safety and sweetest peace. 

No hostile hand shall touch Him now, but love 
Of broken hearts shall take Him from the Cross, 

And softly wind the shroud. 

And lay Him in the tomb. 

The bones are strength ; and man could never break 
Divine enduring courage. He was calm 

Before the Judge, and calm 

Hung on the Cross, and died. 

Peter was broken, with his timid friends 
Who faithless fled, and left in time of need; 

But all unbroken still 

' I Am ' abode — abides. 

The Church, His Body, often hard bested, 
Wounded and scarred, shall never be subdued; 

Because a part of Him 

Who never can be broke. 

The Martyr, and the widow, and the child 
Orphaned and lone, and souls oppressed with guilt, 

Unbroken, by the grace 

Of this Unbroken, stand. 



PRESERVATION WEEK. 



617 



Off, then, ye slaves who blindly execute 
The will of human lords; confess a Power 

Stronger than Jewish hate 

Or Rome's imperious rule ! 

But come, thou teacher, taught thyself at last; 
Yea, come by daylight, for night hastens on; 

And in this dark discern 

The font of that New Birth 

And come from Ramah, weeping by the way ; 

Sowing in bitter tears, to reap in joy, 
Thou truly rich in this, 
That Christ will bless thy grave. 

Gently draw out the nails, and gently place 
The precious burden on a mother's knees ; 

And let a spotless vest 

Enfold the spotless Lamb. 

Unbroken, Undefiled, our only Strength, 
And our sole Innocence,- — so let Him lie, 

The grave a chancel make, 

The dreaded tomb a home. 

Roll up the stone, ye soldiers. Seal it sure, 
And watch it well. 'Tis all that ye can do. 

For through unbroken rock 

Th' Unbroken will arise. W. E. H. 



613 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



HOME COLLECT. 
O God Who hast been been pleased to manifest 
Thy presence in all good works, pour into our hearts 
by Thy Holy Spirit, such love to Thee, and such duti- 
ful acknowledgment of Thy appointments on earth, 
that we may evermore be preserved both in body 
and soul from all things lacking and hurtful, through 
Jesus Christ our Lord, to Whom with Thee and 
the Holy Ghost be all Glory and praise, now and for 
ever. Amen. . C. F. H. 

COMMENTS. 

There is one great and ever present manifestation 
of our Lord, of which we should think, before the 
season of the Epiphany passes away. The Col- 
lect suggests to us His constant care and protection 
of His Church — His preservation of the Church in 
true religion. 

'We have a strong city J in the Church of God; 
Salvation hath God appointed therein c for walls and 
bulwarks/ A very fruitful Vineyard is the Church 
of God: from Him is her fruit found; and there 
must be much fruit in the trees of His planting, the 
branches which abide in Him. The Church of God 
is a House which cannot be moved; for it is founded 
upon a rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail 
against it, though all its outward defences, all its 
earthly props, shall be taken away. The Church of 



PRESERVATION WEEK. 



619 



God is a Home from which true Religion can never 
be banished, because of the abiding promises of the 
Divine Builder, and the indwelling Presence of the 
Divine Spirit. These are the comforting assur- 
ances which rise before our hearts in the services of 
this Sunday. Here are still some of the consolations 
which spring from the Epiphany of Jesus Christ. 

He who is with us i all the days, even unto the 
end of the world.' S. Matt, xxviii. 20. sustains us 
not merely as individual Christians, but as His 
Church. The Epistle reminds us that we are called 
to the Peace of God £ in One Body,' and that we 
have duties towards our fellow-members, Col. iii. 15, 
16. The Gospel teaches us (and the lesson is con- 
veyed in one of Christ's parables concerning His 
kingdom on earth, S, Matt. xiii. 24) that we are not 
isolated, but growing together as the multitudinous 
ears in a field of corn, under His watchful Eye. The 
Collect brings us. as Churchmen, to our knees, and 
enables us, as Churchmen, to have these confidences 
in God through His Sox — -that His Church, as one 
with Him, as united to Him the c One Lord ' by the 
1 One Faith' and the 'One Baptism,' Eph. iv. 5, is 
'the pillar and ground of the Truth.' I. Tim. iii. 
15. — that His Church is upheld by the eternal hope 
and continual outpouring of His heavenly grace — ■ 
that. His Church is evermore defended by His mighty 
power— that His Church cannot lose her blessed in- 



620 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



heritance of that true religion which depends on the 
finished Atonement of Jesus Christ and on the 
constant sanctification of His Holy Spirit. 

Let us examine this a little more closely — this 
great, quiet, daily showing forth of the Lord, as the 
upholder of ' the Church which is His Body/* Eph. 

i. 22, 23. 

i. He preserves it from destruction. Great forces 
rise and surge against it. But He keeps it night and 
day. ' The Gates of Hell/ spoken of by our Lord 
Himself, must evidently be a very awful power—none 
other than the power of the Kingdom of death, the 
power of the ruler of darkness. How abhorrent to 
Satan must be the advance of the Church, the King- 
dom of light and life ! How persistent must be the 
exercise of his malice, in opposition to an Empire 
so attractive, so reviving ! How unceasing must his 
efforts be to overthrow the faith of the Church, to 
undermine that very Name of God which is the be- 
liever's citadel, to steal away that personal holiness 
which is essential to final victory through Chrtst, 
to make the righteous despair of Divine assistance, 
and give up Ihe hope of salvation ! Ay, and how 
much he must aim at dividing Christians from each 
other, so as to weaken their hold on religion, and 
get their consent to put 'it sometimes aside ! How 
unwearied are his endeavors to gain an entrance 
here for hypocrisy, and there for pride, for anger on 



PRESERVATION WEEK. 



621 



this side of the house, and for falsehood on that ! 
It is indeed still, as it always has been, a terrible 
spiritual combat, a terrible series of assaults which 
the Church and its soldiers have to withstand. But 
the promise of our Lord is sure — -'The gates of hell 
shall not prevail against it !' He has a deathless 
life, and the Church therefore has immortality from 
Him. 

2. Then, again, our Lord maintains the Faith. 
Though He allows the faithful to be minished 
among the children of men to a little band or even 
to a single Athanasius, yet the immortal seed re- 
mains, and the eternal Faith abides, to flourish when 
the clouds have passed away, as the very tree of 
life. 

3. And this should remind us, further, that the 
Great Head of the Church preserves the wheat among 
the tares. In this world the evil are ever mingled 
with the good, and sometimes it is as if the evil had 
the upper hand, as if the tares were stifling the 
wheat, as if the holy could never come forth un- 
scathed from the fiery trial of bad companionship 
and sinful example. But the same gracious and 
all-wise Lord, who permits for a while this apparent 
confusion, this seeming risk, is really watching all 
the while over those who fear Him. He ' knoweth 
how to deliver the godly out of temptation ' 2 Pet. 
ii. 9, and bids them though in the world not to be of 



622 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



the world, and shows them how in humility and 
charity they may grow on at present among the 
wicked and the unbelievers, not trying to set up a 
little pious body for themselves which they may call 
the Church, but rather to render themselves, by 
God's grace, less unworthy of a place and a name in 
the one Church of Christ, and to win others to the 
same precious faith and the same true religion. 
This is the real reliance on Jesus — here is the actual 
manifestation of Him as the Life of His chosen, and 
the Purifier of His people. They are lonely, but 
not alone, for He is with them. They are vexed by 
surrounding iniquity, but this does not make them 
self-righteous, for they lean only on Him. They are 
drawn towards sin, but the attraction of their second 
birth is stronger still, and Christ is proved to be 
within them. They grow in grace amid all hin- 
drances and evil patterns, because they are growing 
in the knowledge of their Saviour, and He is slowly 
being formed within them. And so their life, their 
increasingly Christian life, is more and more a testi- 
mony to their Lord, a proof that He dwells in them, 
and they in Him. 

4. And if so, then hereafter this will be completed. 
As one by one His saints are gathered in, He cheers 
us with the blessed assurance that their labour has 
not been in vain in Him, that He has empowered 
them to fight the good fight, and has called them to 



PBESEBVATION WEEK. 



623 



rest, as they have fought and toiled, in Him, Truly 
the advance of the Church, ay, and the advance of 
the faithful Churchman; is manifesting Jesus every 
day. 

And this is the manifestation which shall be com- 
plete when at last He returns to His own, and. raises 
them to Himself. For we learn from Holy Writ, 
that in that final triumph ' He shall come to be 
glorified in His saints, and to be admired in all them 
that believe.' 2 Thess. i. 10. As the mirror reflects 
the brightness of the sun, so shall the Holy Church 
give back the glorious rays of His marvellous Light. 
And though, in the Church, the "individual Chris- 
tian is not worthy to be compared with that Divine 
Head, who is Great, Wonderful, and Holy, yet will 
each sanctified member receive from Him such a 
real measure of goodness and truth as gradually to 
resemble Him and to share a little in His praise. 

How grand is the mission of the Church — to show 
forth Christ. He, present in the Church, present 
in each of her members, in the whole body of the 
faithful, in their assemblies for worship and Commun- 
ion, present as their very Life, is thus proclaimed to 
angels and men. For it was God's purpose ' that 
now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly 
places might be known by the Church the manifold 
wisdom of God,' Eph. iii. 10. 

How priceless is our privilege to belong to the 



624 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Church ! For herein we not merely have a share in 
that which has been established and endowed by 
man, and which man can again, if God so wills, 
make poor and without honour in the world, but 
rather a real and spiritual membership in that Chris- 
tian body, which is growing ever in the Lord, never 
to fail or die. How sure is our refuge here. How 
great is our responsibility in thus belonging to His 
Kingdom ! We are to show forth in our lives the 
praises of this Eternal King, the glorious Saviour 
of the Body. It is a life-long service, a thorough 
submission, a heart's love, that He requires of all 
who own Him in His Church. G. E. J. 

In to-day's Collect we ask of God that He would 
keep His Church and household continually in His 
true religion. This prayer seems very suitable for 
us to offer, on reading this Gospel ; in which, under 
the emblem of wheat and tares, growing together in 
one field, the mixture of good and evil in God's 
Church is set forth. So numerous are the tares at 
times, and so scanty is the wheat, that the field 
might seem one of tares, with a few ears of chance- 
sown wheat, rather than one of wheat, in which an 
enemy had scattered tares. Great reason is there 
then to pray that God would continually keep His 
Church in His true religion. 

ist. Observe that the good are often in Scripture 



PRESERVATION WEEK. 



625 



likened to wheat. The figure is very suitable, as 
showing the profitableness of real religion. Wheat 
is the most useful of all grains; and so religion will 
surely make men useful, of real value; as we read 
of Onesimus (in allusion to his name, which means 
* useful ' or 1 profitable ') that he who had been 
unprofitable was now become profitable. Philem. ii. 

Wheat, again, is able to stand the difficulties of 
climate; wintry frosts and summer heats. Its root is 
struck deep into the soil ; and though it may look 
sickly, yet under a little sunshine it soon revives* 
So it is with the true Christian; his religion is proof 
against temptations of various kinds, joy as well as 
sorrow; and though it droop for a season, yet, as 
he is still in the way of gracious influences, it again 
revives. 

This 'wheat' is sown by the Son of man; and so 
we learn that from God alone come all holy desires, 
all good counsels, and all just works. 

2ndly, ' An enemy sowed tares ' among the wheat 
Satan did this at first when he brought evil into a 
world which God had made 'very good;' and so, 
since Christ founded His Church, Satan has ever 
been misleading such as were untrue to their high 
profession, and making them again his subjects. To 
such a degree has he succeeded in mixing the wicked 
and the good, that it is not possible for man to dis- 
tinguish certainly which are the wheat and which the 



626 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTEB EPIPHANY, ETC. 



tares. Not but that there always is a real distinction; 
the wheat is wheat, not tares; the tares are tares not 
wheat; and God knows the difference between them. 
And this is observable — that as the wheat ripens, it 
becomes more easily distinguished: in other words, 
as the saint approaches the end of his course, and 
ripens for glory, the proof of his real character be- 
comes more certain; until at length he is taken to 
his rest like a shock of corn at harvest. The hypo- 
crite, however, too often succeeds in putting on the 
appearance of the just; and the real Christian is 
often, from various circumstances, unknown on 
earth to be what God sees him to be. 

Now, it is very natural that God's true servants 
should long and sigh for the time when there will 
be no longer this mixture of good and evil; when all 
will be guileless, all heavenly-minded, all true, and 
like unto Christ. The parable teaches some use- 
ful lessons to such as are thus living for a better 
state of things. 

i st. They should not be surprised at this mixture 
Df evil in the Church. Our Savoiur clearly fore- 
knew, nay, foretold that it would be so: for this par- 
able may, like several others, be regarded as a 
prophecy, declaring what would be the state of His 
Church unto the end. And therefore, when per- 
plexed by this mixture of evil in His household, we 
should remember that He told us before that such 
would be the case. 



PRESERVATION WEEK. 



627 



2dly, We should not be impatient under this trial. 
If the great Husbandman is patient with the tares, 
much more should we be; who, if indeed we now are 
wheat, are indebted to His grace for making us so. 
And the same grace may yet cause the tares which 
we see around to become wheat likewise. 

3dly, However, we must beware of judging any. 
It is the province of God alone to determine with 
certainty which are wheat and which are tares. We 
must beware of usurping what is God's peculiar 
office, namely, judgment. Rather should we, 

4thly, Give all our care to this great object, that 
we ourselves may now be seen by Him as wheat; 
and so be seen at last by the whole world: not chaff, 
to be scattered away from the face of the earth ; but 
real wheat, sound grain, to be gathered into the 
heavenly garner. If there be many in the world who 
are Christians only seemingly, that should set us the 
more on being Christians indeed. We should often 
think, what a sifting we have to undergo, in this 
world, by the various temptations which are sent to 
prove our real character; and in the world to come, 
all that is not wheat must fall through that sieve in 
w r hich we must be sifted. If Satan sought to sift 
Christ's Apostles, we may be sure that he is seek- 
ing to sift us; our wisdom will be, to distrust our- 
selves, to lean on the hope of God's heavenly grace, 
and still aim at being sincere and blameless in an 



628 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. ETC. 



evil generation; that so, through His infinite mercy, 
we may at last be received into the heavenly garner. 

W. J. T. 

In last Sunday's Collect, we besought God to de- 
fend and protect us from the dangers which sur- 
round us in the world; and as we who are of the 
ark of Chris r's Church cannot be in safety unless 
we keep the true faith, we beseech God to-day 'to 
keep His Church and household continually in His 
true religion, that they who do lean only upon the 
hope of His heavenly grace, may evermore be de- 
fended by His mighty power We pray 
then to-day that we may be kept constantly in 
Christ's true religion. For we must remember that 
there is a false religion as well as a true one. If 
men believe what is not true, and if they worship 
God in the wrong way, then their religion is false. 
We have been taught to believe what is right, for 
our religion comes from God; Jesus Himself taught 
it to His Apostles, and we have received it from 
them. There are two things which are essential to 
6 true religion' — namely, faith and obedience. We 
must believe what is right, and we must do what is 
right. We must never think that it does not signify 
what we believe, so long as our lives are good. God 
has given us a true faith, and He will expect us to 
4 continue steadfast in it.' We maybe sometimes 



PBESERVATION WEEK. 



629 



tempted to turn aside from it. Others may try to 
lead us to forsake the services of our Church, in 
order to worship God in some other way — in meet- 
ing houses, for instance, or open-air preaching, or to 
join ourselves to those who have dissented from the 
holy faith of the Church, when they would per- 
suade us that we shall receive more benefit. Or 
again, we may be tempted to read books which teach 
false doctrine, and so we may be led to fall away 
from the faith. Let us not listen to those who would 
persuade us to give up our ' true religion ;' let us 
believe what is right, and also try to act upon what 
we believe, remembering the advice of S. Paul to 
his disciple Timothy: ' Hold fast the form of sound 
words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and 
love which is in Christ Jesus ;' (2 Tim. i. 13.) and 
again: 4 But continue thou in the things which thou 
hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of 
whom thou hast learned them/ (2 Tim. iii. 14.) If 
we thus are kept continually in Christ's true re- 
ligion, we shall also learn to lean only upon the hope 
of His heavenly grace, knowing that it is this alone 
which will enable us to ' hold fast the faith once de- 
livered to the saints.' 

We have seen that we are all members of Christ's 
household the Church; in the Epistle for to-day we 
are taught what our duties are as the ' elect of God,' 
that is, God's chosen family. We are told to put 



630 



FIFTEI SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



'on bowels of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, 
meekness, long-suffering; forbearing one another, 
and forgiving one another.' We are to show love 
and kindness to our brethren who are ' fellow-citizens 
with us of the household of God.' ' The peace of 
God is to rule in our hearts,' and we are ' to be 
thankful ' for all His mercies. We are also to 
strengthen one another in the faith of Christ's ' true 
religion,' teaching and admonishing one another in 
psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and 
making melody in our hearts to the Lord. This is 
the state of peace and love in which the members of 
Christ's household should live; whilst in every 
thing they say and do, they are to glorify Him who is 
their Head; 'Whatsoever ye do, in word or deed, 
do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks 
to God and the Father by Him.' The Epistle 
thus describes the state of the Church as it ought to 
be; a state of holiness and peace and love, in which 
all its members are united. 

The Gospel, by a parable, represents the Church 
as it is; evil and unworthy members being contained 
in it as well as the good The parable describes a 
man who sowed good seed in his field; his enemy came 
whilst he slept, and secretly sowed tares, or weeds, 
amongst the wheat, so that when the corn was sprung 
up, there appeared the tares also. The servants of 
the house-holder, wished to gather up the tares at 



PRESERVATION WEEK. 



631 



once, but he commanded that the tares and wheat 
should be left to grow together until the harvest; 
and ' in the time of harvest I shall say to the reapers. 
Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them 
in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into 
my barn.' The householder in the parable signifies 
our Blessed Lord, Who has sown the 'good seed * 
of His true religion in His field, the Church, into 
which we were planted at our Baptism. The devil, 
the enemy of mankind, is constantly trying to cor- 
rupt us; he sows the seed of sin and wickedness in 
the world around us, and in our own hearts; and so 
it is that many Christians fall away from their faith 
and obedience to God, and become as it were, 
i tares' in the field of Christ's Church. God, 
however, allows both the good and evil members of 
His ' household ' to ' grow together ' until the harvest, 
or the Day of Judgment, that the good may be 
trained and fitted for their heavenly home, and that 
tlte unfaithful may have time for repentance. But 
in the harvest, the end of the world, God will send 
His Angels, 'and they shall gather out of His King- 
dom all things which offend, and them which do 
iniquity/ Then shall 'the tares,' the unfaithful 
members of Christ's Church, be separated from the 
'wheat/ God's faithful servants; the former shall 
1 be cast into a furnace of fire, there shall be wailing 
and gnashing of teeth; but the latter shall shine 



632 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. 
Thus we see that it will not suffice for our salvation 
that we have been made members of Christ's 
Church, unless we continue in faith and obedience 
to Him; we must be ' kept constantly in His true 
religion/ if we wish to be assisted by His heavenly 
grace, and defended by His mighty power. S. T. 

The Collect for the fourth Sunday after the 
Epiphany recognizes the dangers of Christians as 
individuals ; the Collect for this Sunday recog- 
nizes the dangers of the Church as a family. In 
both it is to God alone we must look for deliverance 
and safety. 

The Epistle . . . relates to our duties one to- 
wards another as niembers of the Church, and shows 
wherein the i true religion ' of the Collect consists. 

The Gospel manifests Christ as the Governor 
and Preserver of His Church, against the secret 
malignity to which it is exposed. One great danger 
of the Church is lest the Tempter sow tares amonsj 
the wheat. We are here taught that though, through 
a want of watchfulness and our neglect to lean upon 
the Divine grace, the Church may suffer much tem- 
poral injury, yet, at the time of the harvest, the 
Church shall be finally purified ; the tares shall be 
separated from the wheat, to be burnt; the wheat 
shall be gathered into the heavenly garner. 

E. D. 



PRESERVATION WEEK. 



633 



The Gospel for Sunday last presented to us the 
Church in a storm at sea; a striking emblem or sign 
of this changing tempestuous world; yet i?ianife sting 
our Divine Jesus to be our sure Saviour, 1 God 
within us,' Almighty and Eternal, although clothed 
in the weakness of our mortal nature, that He might 
be our safety in danger, and our life in death, 

For the safe keeping and defence of the Church, 
the vessel of Christ's own framing and building, in 
which we are all embarked for the port of Paradise, 
the special prayer for this day is made. Every sin- 
gle member of the Church is interested in its welfare; 
therefore we should most heartily pray that it may 
be kept and guided in the true religion, and, by the 
influence of Divine grace, may be evermore defended 
by Almighty power. The temper of the members 
of the Church — the sailors and voyagers of this 
mystic ship, whether governors or those committed 
to their conduct— is well and clearly taught in the 
Epistle. All quiet and humbly submissive (for strife 
and tumult among them would put them in danger 
of perishing,) each cheerfully and lovingly acting 
his part in the place appointed for him, and encour- 
aging his fellows by Divine love, its heavenly music 
giving joy to the heart, and driving off the evil 
spirit of melancholy and sullenness. Where Jesus 
is, there is true joy, even in the midst of worldly 
sorrow. 



634 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTEB EPIPHANY, ETC. 



The danger of the Church under another figure- 
changing the scene from the sea to a field enclosed 
(or shut in) on the land — -is represented by the 
devil's watchfulness while the spiritual laborers sleep. 
He lays hold of that opportunity to sow his tares, 
the seed of schism, heresy, and doctrines most harm- 
ful to the souls of men. These at first grow up 
without being seen, the worst cf errors having put 
on the appearance of goodness, and of great zeal for 
the revival of faith and holiness. The sects and 
parties which spring up in consequence are most 
ruinous to the true faith, and that unity of spirit 
in the bond of peace for which the Lord of the 
Vineyard so earnestly prayed at the time of His 
Passion (sufferings). He prayed that it might pre- 
vail among His followers for the safety of His true 
religion, which is much kept back in its progress, 
and cramped in its fruits of holiness and righteous- 
ness, by the overspreading growth of these hurtful 
weeds. 'The time will come/ the Apostle foretold, 
' when men will not endure sound doctrine; but 
after their own lusts shall heap to themselves teachers, 
having itching ears, and shall turn away their ears 
from the truth ' (2 Tim. iv. 3). For the truth is 
old, and has no charms of novelty to tickle the fan- 
cies of unstable people, tossed to and fro and carried 
about with every wind of doctrine. The truth, like 
Him Who is truth itself, as well as the way that 



PEESEEVATION WNEK. 



635 



leads to life, is the same yesterday, to-day, and for 
ever. 

Meantime He is merciful and gracious, and waits 
long, forbearing to pull up these unhappy tares, or 
to treat them harshly, in hope that they may change 
their hue in His field, that the tares may become 
wheat. But He has appointed a day in which He 
will judge the world in righteousness, and make a 
full and final separation between the tares and the 
wheat, in that great harvest of the world. C. S. 

The drift of the Parable in the Gospel then is 
this — It represents to us the present and future state 
of the Gospel Church, or kingdom; Christ's care of 
it; the Devil's enmity against it; the mixture of 
good and bad in it, of false and true; and the sep- 
aration of the one from the other at the end of the 
world. 

Having thus endeavored to make clear to you the 
Parable itself, let us now see what lesson it teaches. 

First, we learn here that in Christ's Kingdom on 
earth — that is, in His Church — there is, and always 
has been, a mixture of the bad with the good, of 
false with the true. In every field there will always 
be a mixed crop. Take what pains you may, there 
will be weeds and blighted ears among the corn. 

There were unclean animals in the ark, as well as 
clean. There are goats feeding in the same pasture 



636 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



with the sheep. There is chaff on the same barn- 
floor as the grain. And so there are Tares mingled 
with the Wheat. . . . ■ They are not all Israel," says 
the Apostle, 'who are of Israel;' neither because 
they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children. 
. . . Sometimes we are ready to ask, How can this 
be ? Can that be a true Church, in which there are 
false members? Does not S. Paul speak of 'a 
glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any 
such thing, but holy and without blemish ?' Here, 
in this Parable, we have the truest answer. The 
Church will be pure one day, but not now. The 
tares will be gathered out, but not yet. Jesus fore- 
saw exactly how it would be. He sowed good seed; 
but He knew that tares would come up with the 
wheat. He prepared us to expect it. 

Surely, then, when we are disposed to complain 
that there are many things around us which are not 
as they ought to be, we should check ourselves. I 
go to church, for instance; and the man or woman 
next to me may not be, according to my judgment, 
a true Christian. I approach the holy Table, and I 
see among my fellow-communicants some whose 
piety I doubt. What then ? Am I to be dis- 
turbed by this ? Ought I to make it a stumbling- 
stone ? Am I to conclude that that cannot be a true 
Church which has false members belonging to it? 
Certainly not. I should rather think that such must 



PRESERVATION WEEK. 



637 



be the state of things as long as we are on earth. 
There will be this mixture, I must wait for purity 
and perfection, till I join the Church above. And 
meanwhile my chief aim should be — ah, this should 
be the matter which concerns me — that / may not, 
by any unwatchfulness of my own, bring a blot on 
my Christian profession. 

Secmdly, we gather from this parable that one of 
the great objects of Satan is to mix evil with the 
good — to sow Tares among the Wheat. His grand 
aim is to spoil the work of Christ. . . Be not sur- 
prised, then, if among the people of God Satan sows 
his Tares. Let us be prepared for it, and say, ' An 
enemy hath done this/ 

Thirdly we may see here the folly of trying to 
separate the precious from the vile. There are some 
forward ones in every Church, some who are a little 
puffed up with pride, who are ready to cry out with 
the Servants in the Parable, ' Wilt thou that we go 
and gather up the Tares ?' 

Thank God we are not called upon to do this; 
not that the Tares shall never be plucked up, but 
that this is not the time, and we are not the doers. 
Thank God, we are not sent to judge the world, but 
to spread the knowledge of salvation in it. What 
are we, that we should presume to set our mark 
upon the people of God ? If we attempt it, we shall 
perhaps make most grievous blunders. Perhaps we 



638 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



shall thrust out many a humble believer; and per- 
haps we shall let in many a hypocrite. And there 
is another thing too. Shall we not be in danger of 
rooting up some who may appear to be Tares, but 
who may one day, through God's converting grace, 
be changed into precious Wheat ? Oh, what wis- 
dom is there in those words, ' Judge nothing before 
the time ; ' ' Let both grow together till the harvest' 

A. O. 

The connexion of this Sunday with the Epiphany 
Season is not made so clear in the Gospel of the 
Tares and the Wheat, as in that of those of the Gos- 
pels which record the manifestation of the glory of 
Christ in His acts. Yet it reveals Him as the 
Lord of the Church for its government as well as 
for its preservation; and shows that even when He 
seems to be suffering evil that might be prevented, 
His purpose is still full of love for His own, lest the 
wheat should be injured by the destruction of the 
tares. And, as, moreover, our Lord Himself has 
explained that the seed is the Word of God, that is, 
His own Person, this Gospel and Sunday must be 
regarded as setting forth the glory of Christ in the 
increase of His Church, and the development of that 
Kingdom on earth which is to form so large a por- 
tion of the Eternal dominion of the King of kings. 
It shows also the ultimate triumph of the Word in 



PEESEBVATION WEEK. 



639 



the face of all opposition. Men may sleep who 
should have guarded the field, and the enemy may 
seem to have gained an advantage by which the 
glory of the Word is dimmed; but God waits His 
time, and when that is fulfilled sends forth His 
servants to undo the work of the Evil One; so that 
the glory of the Redeemed is manifested by the 
gathering in of a large harvest of the redeemed into 
His heavenly garner. J. H. B. 

God suffers long and forbears. In all good there 
must be evil; and if -*ve seek to destroy because of 
the evil, we shall do more harm than good. 

It has been the great misfortune in most of the 
attempts made at reformation in the Church, that 
the reformers did not bear this in mind, and with 
ruthless hand they destroyed, instead of patiently 
waiting the weeding hand of God. We . . . have 
by a special Providence preserved to us almost 
everything that was most precious. . . . 

It is well to bear this in mind when we ourselves 
find things in the Church not quite as we should 
wish, when we find weeds as well as corn. Let us 
possess our souls in patience, and not be too impetu- 
ous to reform. 

We find, maybe, in our parish, in our parish 
church, everything not up to our ideal, not every- 
thing as perfect as we think it should be ; and we 



640 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. ETC. 



become impatient for a restoration and improvement. 
Do not be too eager to be at the weeds, too head- 
long for alteration, the greatest care, prudence, and 
moderation must be exercised, or we are very likely 
to do more harm than good. S. B. G. 

LET BOTH GROW TOGETHER UNTIL THE 
HARVEST. 

St. Matt. xiii. 30. 

The waving fields of yellow corn 
Grow ripe beneath the Autumn morn ; 
We know the reaper's ready hand 
Will cut the golden harvest soon. 

And there are many bright green weeds, 
With spreading flowers of gaudy hues, 
That grow together with the grain; 
The reaper's hand shall cut them too. 

Thus, even in Christ's own Church, we see 
The bad are mingled with the good 
And men forsake their early vows, 
And do not live as Christians should; 

Yet the same sun is bright for all, 
Earth's common gifts for all are poured ; 
And so we deem that God forgets 
The promise of His awful word. 



PRESEEVATION WEEK. 



641 



But there shall come a harvest-time, 
When God's own bands of Angels bright 
Shall bind the golden sheaves for Heaven, 
And fling the weeds to endless night. 

Then not, O Lord, bad fruitless weeds, 
Then not to fire eternal cast, 
But bearing rich the fruits of life, 
Be all Thy children found at last ? 

V. F. H. S. 

'This (the parable of the tares), the Lord spake/ 
says Chrysostom, (and considering the age in which 
he lived, and his own fiery and uncompromising 
temper, his words are very remarkable,) ' to forbid 
any putting to death; for we ought not to kill a 
heretic, seeing that so a never ending war would be 
introduced in the world. He does not forbid res- 
traints upon heretics that their freedom of speech 
should be cut off, that their synods and confessions 
(creeds) should be broken up (refuted;) but He 
does forbid that they should be put to keath/ 

N. P. 

The servants said unto Him, Wilt Thou then that 
we go and gather them up ? But He said, Nay ; lest 
while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat 
with them. 

The same servants who had slept whilst the devil 



642 



FLFTfi SUNDAY AFTEB EPIPHAN% ETC. 



was sowing tares now distinguished themselves by 
their anxiety to root up and destroy; a true picture 
of those who are at once self-indulgent to themselves 
and harsh towards others. Such persons often mis- 
take the motives of their actions, and whilst they 
are merely inspired by the ordinary passions of man, 
think that they are influenced by Christian zeal. 
Godly zeal, however, is but the manifestation of true 
charity, whilst that which assumes the appearance of 
zeal for God is oftentimes only the manifestation of 
self-love. But let us note how the Great Sower of 
the seed rebukes such worldly zeal, and at the same 
time shows the greatness of His love for the wheat 
in His field; enduring the presence of that which is 
evil, lest that which is good should be rooted up and 
destroyed. The spiritual tares of which He here 
speaks would seem to be heresies and those scandals 
which try the faith of His chosen ones; these are not 
to be rooted out, but are to be endured for these 
reasons: — - 

(1) Because the good are urged to greater perfec- 
tions by the presence of evil. For there must be also 
heresies among you, that they which are approved ?nay 
be made manifest among you, 

(2) Because by patience and forbearance the evil 
seed may become good: so should time and oppor- 
tunity be given in order that the brother who to-day 
is corrupted by unbelief and heresy, may repent, 



PRESERVATION WEEK. 



613 



and in God's mercy may even become zealous for 
the faith which now he rejects; for had not God 
borne w T ith the tares, Matthew had died a Publican 
and Paul a persecutor and Christ's Church would 
have been deprived of both these.* 

(3) Because of our inability to judge others aright, 
so that whilst our suspicions of evil may be without 
just grounds in the case of some, our trust in the 
outward appearance and professions of goodness in 
others may also be without foundation. 

(4) I, est even in destroying that which is con- 
fessedly evil, and which gives no promise nor hope 
of amendment, we inadvertently destroy that which is 
not evil. These words contain no prohibition against 
the removal of all evil persons from the Church, 
either as a safeguard for others or for their own cor- 
rection, since the field is the world ; they forbid mere- 
ly the destruction of the body, the taking away of 
life for error of doctrine. Again, these words of our 
Blessed Lord, whilst they absolutely prohibit the 
putting heretics to death, teach us that many who 
are now tares, and an injury to the Church of Christ, 
may yet become wheat; and moreover that a wrong 
would be done to the good themselves if they were 

* ' If all cockle had been rooted up at the first, God's 
field would have wanted much good wheat, the Church many 
good men, yea, all men: for Adam in Paradise was a tare when 
he disobeyed.' — Dean Boys, 



611 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



separated from all contact with the wicked who, 
whilst they try the faith and patience, at the same 
time confirm and strengthen God's saints. In the 
midst of evil, then, let each one of us reflect that he 
knows not but that his patience and example may 
lead some reprobate on to conversion; and thus 
whilst he is exercising patience because he is com- 
manded not to root out the tares, he may be dimin- 
ishing the amount of evil which now deforms the 
field of the Lord. W. D. 

Christ was i manifested, that He might destroy 
the works of the devil;' but the devil resists, and the 
victory is not to be complete till the end of the 
world. Meantime, the existence of any wheat in 
such a field as the world, is a manifestation of the 
kingdom of heaven, even though the tares are grow- 
ing with them. A. C. C. 

Alas ! we are not afraid in this day to do that to 
the body of our Lord which His enemies were un- 
willing to do to the raiment which He wore. His 
i coat was without seam, woven from the top through- 
out/ To tear it into many parts, so as to give 
each soldier a part, was plainly to spoil it. 6 Let us 
not rend it ; let it be one; let it be entire; let it be 
unspoilt/ so they spoke to each other of this out- 
ward covering of the body of the Holy One; they 



PEESERVATION WEEK. 



645 



could not bear to. spoil it; there is a natural love 
of anything that is whole and entire, an unwilling- 
ness to mar what is entire, a dislike of that 
which is divided, separated, broken into many parts. 
It was this feeling which made the soldiers withhold 
their hands from tearing the seamless robe; they 
were ready to cast lots; they would rather that one 
should have it whole and entire, than that each should 
have a piece; they would rather risk all, than rend 
it into parts. 

Would to God that we had the same care for the en- 
tireness, the oneness, the unity of the body of Christ. 
O that we feared, and dreaded, and were grieved at 
the very thought of dividing that body ! And what 
am I speaking of ? The body of Christ ? Yea, 
Christ, ' perfect God and perfect man,' in heaven; 
He is now at the right hand of His Father in the 
fulness of His glory; there is His glorified body ; 
there is that very Christ Who was once on earth, 
Whose body was once rent and torn by the nails upon 
the cross. How can we divide His body if it is in 
heaven ? How can we tear it and break it into many 
parts ? 

A mystery as it is, this can be done ; this is done; 
for so near does Christ draw His disciples to Him- 
self, so closely does He join them to Himself, so com- 
pletely is He their head and they His members, that 
He calls the whole company of the baptized, His body; 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC, 



and hence, as in the body of any single man, there 
should be close union, sympathy, concord, fellowship, 
between every part. All should be interwoven, 
intertwined, connected together, like the threads of 
His seamless robe ; we should not be loosely tacked 
together, in a sort of patchwork way; above all we 
should not be split into different pieces, without any 
visible tie or any visible union with each other; we 
should cling together, thread crossing thread, heart 
answering to heart, all being perfectly joined together, 
like the parts of one building, the members of one 
body. 

If we make separations we do no less a thing than 
divide Christ. . . . 

Well then, what is our state at this 

time ? Are we united about religion ? Are we all 
one ? If a heathen were to come to our shores, 
would he find us all one, and say, 'What a united 
household, what a loving family, these .... Chris- 
tians are ?' Nay, would he not rather be confused 
by the multitude of religious bodies, of religious 
sects, religious parties, so that it would all seem 
Babel rather than Jerusalem, the city of peace, the 
city at unity with itself? Would he not run risks of 
being torn asunder, one sect trying to secure him, 
another sect and another longing to obtain posses- 
sion, so that he might well say, • Ye Christians, first 
agree among yourselves and be united among yoitt- 



PRESERVATION WEEK, 



647 



selves about this Gospel, this Christian religion 
which ye wish me to embrace, and then I will think 
of joining you/ 

But what is to be done, you may ask, to heal these 
wounds ? Who is to give way ? Into what body 
are the various bodies to unite ? Let me ask you 
this, by way of answering you; From what body did 
all these various religious bodies spring? Which is 
the old Christian body ? Was it not from the Church 
that they all sprung? Should they not therefore re- 
turn into that ancient fold, that household which from 
the very time of the Apostles has been preserved by 
the Spirit under an apostolic ministry ? This is the 
true way of peace; this is the true means of unity; for 
consider this other question, What ground is there in 
Holy Scripture for separating from the old Chris- 
tian body, for leaving it, for forming sects, except 
that it has so far gone from Christian doctrine, so 
far fallen from the faith, so utterly perverted it, as 
to peril your salvation by staying in it ? Being com- 
posed of men it may have its faults, its short-com- 
ings, its defects; but it is Christ's spouse; to leave 
it for a reason less than this is to divide Christ. 

But there is another way of dividing Christ in some 
sort, besides that of leaving the Church; w r e may 
hold a loose position in the Church; without formally 
joining any sect, we may treat the various sects as 
though they were on an equal level with the Church, 



648 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



as equally portions of Christ's Body; we may have 
no scrapie in going among them, in countenancing 
them. This is in reality a form of schism, or at least 
it betrays a schismatical spirit; we should belong en- 
tirely and solely to the Church; we should believe 
it to be indeed the Body of Christ; we should love 
her as such, and cleave to her as with a strong and 
undivided 3ove. 

Suppose I saw six brethren living in one place, 
yet never meeting together, each keeping to his own 
house, never sitting down under the same roof; and 
suppose they were to say, 1 We are children of the 
same father, and we all love our father, and we do 
not differ from each other in spirit, we are all agreed, 
though it is true we keep apart from each other/ 
who would not say that it was a strange agreement ? 

Take the case of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, 
which is .written for our learning. What did they 
do ? What was their sin ? They were not going to 
teach anything new; they did not purpose to bring 
in any new or false doctrine; they agreed in spirit 
with Moses and Aaron; they held no error of doc- 
trine; they were going to teach just what Moses and 
Aaron taught. And yet see what great wrath fell 
upon them; it fell upon them for this, that they 
would not submit to the one true ministry, but were 
setting up another ministry, dividing the Church of 
the Jews, and separating part from part. In short 
schism was their sin 



PRESERVATION WEEK. 



649 



May the Holy Ghost help us in endeavoring to 
end all schisms, parties, sects, whatever makes one 
Christian unknown to, or estranged from another, 
whatever hinders godly union or concord, and as 
our Saviour prayed that His flock might be one, so 
may we strive to become one through Him, 

'And now I am no more in the world, but these 
are in the world, and I come to Thee. Holy Father ? 
keep through Thine own Name those whom Thou 
hast given Me, that they may be one, as We are. . . 
. . . Neither pray I for these alone, but for them 
which shall believe in Me through their word; that 
they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, 
and I in Thee, that they also may be one in us. — 
St. John xvii. 11-21. T. P. W. 

In the parable of 'the Tares/ . . . . a very in- 
structive and striking circumstance is lost sight of, 
in consequence of the word here employed by our 
translators. Tares are easily distinguished from 
wheat : but the plant which grows among the corn 
so abundantly in Palestine,— (here called 'Tares/ 
because that is the nearest word which our language 
supplies,) is so like wheat in appearance that a careless 
eye would hardly detect the difference. When 
closely examined, however, the plant is found to 
have no corns in the ear ; it is a mere barren bearded 
husk. How apt a type is thereby furnished of the 



650 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



wicked, — growing up among the just, and, outwardly 
at least, not to be distinguished from them ! 

But the beauty of the Divine image is yet more 
striking. Wheat and Tares are plants of a different 
kind : but the plant which our Lord speaks of, 
(here called ( Tares ') is only a degenerate kind of 
wheat. Let it not be said therefore that some are 
created for the burning; while others are destined for 
the Heavenly Garner, — -'elect' from their Birth. 
For the present parable gives no countenance to 
so monstrous an opinion; which is, in fact, refuted 
by almost every page of Scripture. 

Observe, that the Tares are discovered by the 
fruitfulness of the wheat ! 

Thus, then, it is prophesied that the hypocrites, 
and the openly wicked, shall be seen standing side 
by side with those who bring forth much fruit. And 
this mixed aspect . . , was set forth in type, — by 
Noah's Ark, which contained alike clean and unclean 
beasts: in vision, — by the great sheet which S. Peter 
saw let down from Heaven, wherein were all manner 
of beasts : in comparison, — by the threshing floor, 
whereon is laid wheat and chaff : and by the great 
House, in which there are not only vessels of gold 
and silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some 
to honour, and some to dishonour: (Rom. i. i.) in 
parable, — by the sheep and the goats; the net which 
contained fish of every kind; the tares which grew 
among the wheat. 



PRESERVATION WEEK, 



651 



We may not separate from the Church, therefore, 
on pretence of belonging to some holier society 
within it. This is Schism. We thereby, in effect, 
put ourselves out of the Church, and endanger our 
own Salvation. We are guilty of great presumption 
and self-conceit. We pretend to know the secrets of 
other men's hearts; whereas a little reflection might 
convince us that we know not the secrets of our 
own. The Lord ' searcheth all hearts;' (i Chron. 
xxviii. 9.) And ' The Lord— knoweth them that are 
His' (Rev. xxL to, 27.) Let this thought suf- 
fice us. 

The Field, — (it may be said by some one) is not 
the Church, but the World ! .... The objection 
is almost as ancient as the parable. 

But the answer is almost as obvious as the objec- 
tion, and quite as ancient. Of course it was the 
World, — not the Church, but the World— where 
the seed was sown : but the seed was no sooner 
sown, that the foundations of the Church, (the ' King- 
dom of Heaven,' as it is called—) were laid; and 
when the blade was sprung up, since it covered the 
Field, there began to be a ' Holy Church universal 
throughout the World' Then it was that the Tares 
began to show themselves ;— so closely resembling 
the wheat, and so entangled with it, that it was im- 
possible to separate them. How could the admix- 
ture of evil with good, in the visible Church, have 



652 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



been more aptly set forth ? The parable testifies to 
a great Truth that all within the Church are not of 
it: it admits, or rather asserts, that many who pro- 
fess and call themselves Christians, do not deserve 
the name: but it contains a no less solemn warning 
against those who would separate themselves from 
the Church, on the plea that it is not all Holy. It 
removes all ground of surprise at the sad spectacle 
we daily witness; for it is nothing less than a Proph- 
ecy that so it would be. P. C. 

Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the 
Name of the Lord Jesus. Coloss. iii. 17. 
Thou art the keeper of thy Master's Name, 
O Christian servant. By thy Master sent, 
Thy life will be to men a monument 
To the honour of the Christ «r to His shame — 
Thou art the champion of thy Captain's fame, 
O Christian soldier. Solemn sacrament 
Hath bound thee: and thy service will be spent 
To the issue of His glory or His blame. 
Make thy life His: since thou art not thine own: 
Thou knowest at what price thy soul was priced, 
Then live as though within thee lived the Christ ! 
Being His, and His forever and alone. 
That thou hast been with Him, in deed and word 
Let men take knowledge of thee seen and heard. 

S. J. S. 



PRESERVATION WEEK. 



653 



In the midst of the troubles and dangers of the 
world, we have been taught to look for safety to the 
Church of Christ. Yet even here we must not rest 
too secure. In the safest vessel all may not be 
brought to land — out of the many who are called 
into Christ's Church militant on earth, all may not 
be chosen to live in His Church triumphant in 
heaven. 

This is the thought conveyed to us in the services 
of this day. The Gospel represents to us our 
Blessed Lord under the figure of a householder 
planting good seed in a held. S. Matt. xiii. 24. 
The field is the Kingdom or Church of Christ, 
which He has chosen out of the world to plant and 
cultivate. We, Christians, are the seed, whom at 
our Baptism He planted into it, making us holy and 
good. The devil, who tries to corrupt us, is repre- 
sented by the enemy as sowing tares. S. Matt. xiii. 
25. He is continually planting sin and wickedness 
amongst us, both in the world and in the hearts of 
men ; making us to fall away from the holiness we 
once received from God ; and so it is that many 
Christians, who have been once illuminated by the 
heavenly gifts of God's grace, become like tares in a 
field of good wheat, dead branches of a living vine, 
unprofitable members of a holy Church. All, how- 
ever, are allowed to grow together until the time of 
harvest. S. Matt. xiii. 30. God allows His faith- 



654 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. ETC. 



ful and unfaithful servants to live together in the 
world and in the Church, thus proving and training 
the former, and giving to the latter a longer span 
for repentance. But, after seed-time comes the 
harvest, and after this life comes the judgment. At 
the time of harvest the tares are gathered into bun- 
dles to be burned, while the wheat is gathered into 
the barn. S. Matt. xiii. 30. So shall it be at the 
end of the world. God hath appointed a day in 
which He shall judge the world in righteousness. 
He Who now manifests Himself in. mercy, shall then 
manifest Himself in terror, taking vengeance on 
them that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, and making the righteous to ' shine forth as 
the sun in the Kingdom of their Father.' S. Matt, 
xiii. 43. C. T. 

' THROUGH THE WATERS.' 
' When thou passes t through the waters, I will be 
with thee' — Isa. xliii. 2. 

When thou passest through the waters, 

I will be with thee ! 
Sure and sweet and all-sufficient 
Shall His presence be. 

All God's billows overwhelmed Him 

In the great Atoning day! 
Now He only leads thee through them— 

With thee all the way. F R H. 



PRESERVATION WEEK. 



655 



In the whole course of revelation, nothing has ever 
proved so great a stumbling-block to faithless rea- 
soners, as the existence of evil in the world, or a 
Church, or a living man, created, redeemed and 
sanctified by a God, who, besides being good, is All- 
wise All-seeing and Almighty. .... The faithful 
Chistian will say, " God hath so ordained — it is not 
for me 'by searching to find out God; it is not for 
a creature to find out the Almighty to perfection ; it 
is as high as Heaven, what can I do ? deeper than 
Hell, what can I. know?' I am satisfied that He is 
All-good, All-wise, and Almighty; that is enough for 
me." 

But this is not enough for the wisdom of this 
world, which, the Apostle says truly, is foolishness 
in the sight of God. . . . Now the Lord tells us 
plainly, and in so many words, that the net of His 
Church will contain bad as well as good; that the 
field of His kingdom will produce tares as well as 
wheat; that, as there has been a Judas even among 
Apostles, so we may expect even among the chosen 
of our own time those of whom Judas is the 
type. . . . 

There can be no doubt but that these things are 
very difficult to comprehend, perhaps impossible for 
us to comprehend in our present state: but the fault 
is, that we are not content to tarry the Lord's leis- 
ure; we want our Epiphany or manifestation now ; 



656 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



and these are times and seasons which the Lord has 
put in His own power not in ours, and has signified 
that there shall be no manifestation of these things 
until the net be drawn to shore, until the harvest be 
complete, until the number of the elect be accom- 
plished, until the end of the world shall come. 

This is the object of the Church in placing the 
parable of the wheat and tares in this portion of her 
course of teaching. ... 

In this parable the Lord not only tells us that 
there must be evil as well as good in this world as 
long as it is a world of trial, and that it will be difficult 
to distinguish, and impossible to separate the one 
from the other; but He tells us more than this; He 
tell us that it is for our sakes that the evil is left here 
now, and that there will be a time when this state of 
things will end, when it will be no longer for our 
good that evil should exist, and that then the good 
and the bad will be made manifest; that is to say — 
here comes in the doctrine of the season — there will 
be an Epiphany of Christians, as well as an Epiph- 
any of Christ. H. N. 

Lord, 'tis not in Thy Church alone, 
That tares among good corn are sown; 
Satan our hearts to discompose, 

His tares there sows. 
Soon as the amiable Dove 



PBESEEVATION WEEK. 



657 



Sheds in our hearts celestial Love ; 
And our cleared heaven-erected eyes 
This world despise; 

Soon as Our powers begin to feel 
The suavities of heavenly zeal, 
And stand propending to obey 

Love's gentle sway; 
Satan his force and wiles collects, 
Loose thoughts into our souls injects, 
Which our imaginations lure 

To loves impure. 

Thy Word, Lord, in this life declares, 
That corn will mingled be with tares, 
Thou separation doth delay 

Till Judgment Day. 
My God, let neither tares nor weeds, 
Choke in my soul Thy heavenly seeds, 
Keep, Lord what Thou Thyself dost sow 

From the cursed foe. 

From the cursed foe, for in my heart 
'Tis he would fain usurp a part, 
But I to Thee my heart resign, 

Keep what is Thine. 
My Love shall Satan's spite oppose, 
And if in me his tares he sows, 



658 



FIFTH SUNDAY AF7YEB EPIPHANY, ETC 



May he at Judgment bear the blame, 
I them disclaim. 

Tares in the hearts of Saints remain, 
Foils to the true and beauteous grain, 
For Love thy trials are designed 

In souls refined. 
Our birth propension sensual sows 
To wilful sin, which cherished grows; 
We all our life must God invoke, 

That growth to choke. 

To all the daughters of lapsed Eve, 
Eve-like concupiscences cleave, 
And 'tis by power of Grace Divine, 

We them confine. 
Grace, which all votaries' wants supplies, 
Which God to no weak soul denies, 
Strengthening the frailest to repel, 

The powers of hell. 

Live satisfied to be sincere, 
Infirmities you'll suffer here, 
None to perfection can attain, 

Till heaven they gain. 
Lord, sow Love in our spirits deep, 
That each a daily crop may reap, 
To Thee a harvest every day, 

Of Love to pay. B. K. 



PRESERVATION WEEK. 



659 



NEVER MIND ! WE ARE ALL GOING TO THE 
SAME PLACE.' 

And why not by the same road ? If half a dozen 
of your neighbours were setting out together for 
some distant town, would you not think them very 
foolish if they choose six different paths ? You would 
feel sure that five of them must, to say the least of it, 
be giving themselves more trouble than there was 
any occasion for, would you not join with the rest 
of their friends in saying, ' You must be very foolish; 
there can be but one straight road to a place ; five 
of you must be going, more or less out of the way ? -,' 
Would you think much the better of their wisdom, 
if they cry out with one voice, ' Never mind; we are 
all going to the same place.' 

And yet, my dear friends, is not this the very 
plan that you are pursuing in a matter far more im- 
portant; m your journey towards the heavenly Jeru- 
salem ? The ministers placed over you by God, urge 
you to unite in travelling to heaven by one path: 
and this is the answer you give them, 'Never mind; 
we are all going to the same place.' This is the very 
reason, the strongest of all reasons, why you should 
go by one road\ if we were intending to travel to dif- 
ferent places, it would be a good reason for our 
choosing different paths: but what can be so con- 
trary to all reason when our aim is to reach the 
same point. 



660 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



You are, perhaps, ready to say to me; 4 Yes, yes, 
we see; you wish to make your own party larger; we 
can't trust what you say/ But you can trust, fully 
trust to what God's Holy Word says. Looking up to 
Him then, reverently, for His blessing, take down 
your Bible, and turn to the seventeenth chapter of 
S. John's Gospel. There you will find our Blessed 
Saviour Jesus Christ, just as He was about to de- 
part out of the world to His Father, offering up a 
prayer for His disciples, praying that when they 
should be left alone, God would keep them from 
evil. Then our Lord proceeds even to pray for us ; 
in the twentieth verse He says, 4 Neither pray I for 
these alone, but for them also which shall believe on 
Me through their word,' And what is it that Christ 
asks for us ? That we all may be one, one in this 
world; 4 As Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, 
that they also may be one in us; that the world may 
know that Thou hast sent Me/ Here you see our 
Blessed Saviour Himself praying that all His disci- 
ples might be one. And just mark why He prays 
for this ; that the world, that is, the ungodly, may 
know that the Father sent Him. Look about you 
now; here you see a body of men, professing to be 
disciples of Christ, contending for one thing; then 
another sect contending for just the opposite, while 
envy, and anger, and evil speaking are mixed up 
with their contentions. Do you really think that 



PKESEKVATXON WEEK, 



661 



this is the kind of agreement our Saviour prayed 
for ? Does it bear the mark of that ' wisdom that is 
from above,' which 4 is first pure, then peaceable?' 
(S. James iii, 17.) Can it ever yield the fruit of 
that agreement which Christ asked ? In other 
words, can it ever teach the ungodly that Christ 
came forth from a God of love, from the great 
Author of peace, and Lover of concord? Don't you 
think, now, honestly, that the world would see this 
much better, if professing Christians were but ' one 
body,' (Eph. iv. 4.) had but ' one faith ' (Eph. iv. 5,) 
and were ' perfectly joined together in the same 
mind and in the same judgment ?" (I Cor. i. 10.) 

The Epistles of St. Paul show that he always 
bora in mind his heavenly Master's prayer. When 
he heard that there were divisions among the Cor- 
inthians, although these had not reached to anything 
like the length of our divisions, yet the Apostle was 
greatly concerned for them. Directed by the Spirit 
of God, he says to them, ' It hath been declared unto 
me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the 
house of Chloe, that there are contentions among 
you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I 
am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and 
I of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul cruci- 
fied for you? Or were ye baptized in the name Gf 
Paul ?' (I Cor. i. 11-15.) My dear friends, I would 
put these words to your consciences. Read the pas- 



662 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTEB EPIPHA35T, ETC. 



sages that I have named to you; compare them with 
these, I Cor. iii. 3; xii. 12, 13; Eph. iv 1-6; Col. iii. 
15. meditate on them; pray over them. You are not 
afraid of the truth, surely ? 

Yet I cannot close here. If you have carefully 
read, and devoutly prayed over these passages, I 
must naturally expect you to ask; "Which is the 
way of unity ? where is the path in which we are to 
meet; the straight and well-beaten road, along which 
we are to walk together? 1 I need hardly say to you, 
that this straight road, wherever it is to be found, 
cannot be a new road: for Christ more than 1,800 
years ago come to mark it out for men. It cannot 
then possibly be found among any of the dissenting 
bodies in this land. 

The chief of these sects dates the birth of its 
'founder' but 150 years ago; and for ihe res:, they 
have all struck out their paths within the last 300 
years. Each sect contends, indeed, that their path 
is the straight one, but a moment's reflection tells you 
that no new road, no road formed 1,500 years after 
the death of Christ, the Founder of the Christian 
religion, can be the direct one. Christ it was. Who 
brought life and immortality to light; and straight- 
way He sent forth His Apostles, divinely inspired, 
to guide the feet of men into the direct path that 
leads to these. The Apostles formed by the guid- 
ance of the Spirit the disciples who were converted to 



PRESERVATION WEEK. 



663 



the Christian faith into one body, which is called in 
Scripture by that wonderful and blessed name i the 
body of Christ.' As they went into different parts, 
this one fellowship, this one body of Christian men, 
was daily increased ; multitudes were added to the 
Church; they all trod but one way; and when any 
rose up and sought to make other ways, and to sep- 
arate themselves from the one body, and to turn 
aside from the one way, they were rebuked by the 
Apostles. Though the one Church, like one army, 
was divided into different companies, some at Cor- 
inth, some at Rome, some at Ephesus, some at Col- 
osse, yet they all were but one army after all ; they 
all had but one Head, even our Lord Jesus Christ. 
. . . In England, men in due time were converted 
to the faith, and were baptized; they had their own 
Bishops, and Priests, and Deacons, sent by .their Di- 
vine Head to guide them in the one true way. And, 
from that time to this, this Church of England has 
been a true part of this body of Christ moving 
along the one path. 

Turn your eyes now to the Church of England. 
In her you may see a road as old as the times of the 
Apostles, and such as it was in apostolic times, 
straight, plain, and safe; while the light of the Scrip- 
tures is freely to be had, to cheer you in the hour of 
darkness and sorrow. This is the good old way. 
By you it may have been lightly esteemed, t>ut many 



664 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC 



among your fathers have walked in it with their God; 
and rejoiced in its security; and finally blessed Him 
for its straightness. Whether you will hear, or 
whether you will forbear, I point to this road, the 
Church of England, as the one on which we are 
bound to meet ; along this we should all walk as 
brethren, ' endeavoring to keep the unity of the 
Spirit in the bond of peace.' 

Pray that God may give you an understanding 
mind and a heart ready to do His whole will. My 
first and most earnest wish is to see you concerned 
about the salvation of your souls, and my second wish 
is to see you willing and anxious to keep all the 
commandments of God, although some of them may 
go, as I really am much afraid they do, greatly 
against your present practice. It is my earnest 
prayer that we should be, indeed, all seeking the 
same place, and that as men of sense, as true and 
sound Christians, we should consult our own welfare 
and peace, and the world's conversion, by all walk- 
ing in the same road. T. P. U. 

' The Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of 
the Truth.' (I Tim. iii. 15.) * The Lord addeth to the Church 
daily such as should be saved.' (Acts ii. 47.) 4 Christ is the 
head of the Church, and He is the Saviour of the body.' (Eph, 
v: 22.) 'Christ also loved the Church, and gave Himself for 
it' (v. 25). * Built upon the foundation of the Apostles and 
Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone.' 



PRESERVATION WEEK. 



665 



(Eph ii. 20.) 'And He gave some Apostles; and some 
Prophets ; and some Evangelists ; and some Pastors and 
Teachers : for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the 
ministry, for the edifying of the Body of Christ/ (Eph. iv. 
11, 12.) ' Now ye are the Body of Christ and members in 

particular.' (1 Cor. xii. 27.) ' holding the head, 

from which all the body by joints and bands having nourish- 
ment ministered, and knit together, iucreaseth with the in- 
crease of God.' (Col. ii. 19.) 

It is as members of Christ's Holy Catholic Church 
that the blessed truths which we have been con- 
sidering are applied to us. When therefore we pro- 
fess our belief in one Catholic and Apostolic Church, 
we think with gratitude of the precious gifts of which 
it is the channel, and we naturally seek to know 
something of that divine Body which conveys to us 
such great blessings. 

The Church is the institution of Christ Himself. 
He would have all men to be saved and come to the 
knowledge of His truth; and so He established this 
holy society, into which men, struggling in this 
wicked world, might be called and placed on their 
road to heaven. We read in Holy Scripture how this 
divine society was formed and constituted. Our Bles- 
sed Lord before His ascension called unto Him His 
Apostles, and endued them with power from on high. 
As His Father had sent Him, so did He send them, 
giving them the Holy Ghost to guide them and to lead 



666 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



them into all truth. He authorized them to admit 
men into His Church by Holy Baptism, to guide and 
govern, to bind and loose in His Name. And this 
power was not to rest with themselves only; it was 
to be transmitted to others after them, who again 
conferred upon others also this Apostolic or Episco- 
pal office. And so it has continued up to the pres- 
ent day. None have power to celebrate His holy 
mysteries or minister in His Church, but those who 
in this manner have been lawfully called and sent 
by Him. 

Thus does our Lord fulfil His promise of being 
with His Church (through these his appointed min- 
isters) even unto the end of the world, and thus has 
the Church been built upon the foundation of the 
Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being 
the chief corner-stone. 

In the Acts of the Apostles, as well as in many 
uninspired writings, we read how this divine Body, 
so formed, was continued and carried on. We find 
a regular order of ministry established; priests, or 
(as they are sometimes called in our Bibles) elders 
or presbyters, serving under the Apostles or Bishops, 
with deacons, again, under them; and taking counsel 
together in regulating the affairs of the Church (as 
when they came together under S. James, the Bishop 
of Jerusalem, to consider the question of circum- 
cision). Above all, we find holy Sacraments and * 



PRESERVATION "WEEK. 



667 



ordinances duly administered by them ; and num- 
bers gathered into Christ's fold through the ap- 
pointed means, 'for the Lord added to the Church 
daily such as should be saved.' 

The Church on earth, then, is an outward visible 
Body, made up of fallible men and visible instru- 
ments, but conveying invisible and spiritual graces. 
Although holy through union with its Divine Head, 
yet while it is still militant here on earth, the evil 
must ever be in it mingled with the good; just as 
there may be dead branches of a fruitful vine, dis- 
eased members of a living body, disobedient sons in 
a well ordered family. ' In a great house there are 
not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood 
and of earth; and some to honour and some to dis- 
honour.' (2 Tim. ii. 20.) Or to use our Lord's 
own words, ' The Kingdom of Heaven (or the 
Church) is like a net that was cast into the sea, and 
gathered of every kind, which, when it was full, they 
drew to shore, and sat down and gathered the good 
into vessels, but cast the bad away.' (S. Matt. xiii. 
47, 48.) While, therefore, we behold strife and 
division, rebellion and wickedness abounding, let us 
not doubt Christ's promise, or the holiness of His 
Church. Rather let us listen to what Holy Scrip- 
ture teaches us concerning our privileges and respon- 
sibilities as members of His Body. T. P. U. 

Our liturgy has, with pious wisdom, so embodied 



668 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTEB EPIPHANY, ETC. 



all the doctrines of the Gospel, that, from the ap- 
propriate place assigned to each, they have severally, 
from their very order of place, the greater weight 
and influence. If we are taught to pray for divine 
aid, as our only ground of safety in the way of holi- 
ness, we are also instructed, that even the Spirit of 
God is received in vain, and is indeed grieved, Eph. 
iv. 30, unless he finds the soul earnestly desirous to 
co-operate in working out its own salvation. 

In the preceding Collects, we lamented our weak- 
ness and folly; and we confess that we have of our- 
selves no strength to help ourselves, and that we 
trust to God for strength. We pray, in the present 
Collect, that, whilst we depend on God, we may not 
be wanting to ourselves; whilst we lean upon another 
support, we may not render that support vain, by 
want of exertion on our part. The Spirit of God is 
to lead; but we must follow. If, when His directing 
influence is vouchsafed, we are inactive, we cannot 
reasonably expect to advance in our Christian course. 
Our blessed Saviour has left us His own example, 
to instruct and encourage us in the way of godliness. 
He ''leaned only upon God's heavenly grace ; yet, 
when so supported, He was not Himself listless or 
inactive. . . 

In the Collect for this week, we pray God to keep 
His Church and household continually in His true 
religion; and the Epistle consists of a beautiful ex- 



PRESERVATION WEEK. 



669 



hortation to the practice of all Gospel graces that 
they may abound more and more, in love. This 
love which the Epistle inculcates, is indeed the 
remedy, the safeguard, and the light, in our troubles. 
Nothing can be right without it; and nothing can 
be very wrong, while this love continues. We are 
exhorted to love God and our neighbour, with 
humility; and this may be regarded as the best 
counsel that can be given in times of religious doubt, 
of darkness and difficulty, such as now accompanies 
the great Epiphany. 

But this love is endangered; and the heavenly 
torch burns dimly, on account of the prevailing cor- 
ruption. This corruption is a snare amid false doc- 
trine and dissensions in the Church. We ought to 
hate what is evil, and contend against it; but there 
is danger, lest hatred and contention sour the heart 
and stifle charity. At such times, our souls should 
be attuned to heavenly harmonies, as by the short 
Epistle for this day. . . 

The Gospel for this day furnishes us with our 
Lords account of what is to be expected in the 
world, during the spread of His Gospel, very differ- 
ent from a state of truth and charity. It is of His 
household the Church not continuing in true religion; 
of heresies and iniquities abounding. Love, like 
that which binds together our families, will not be 
found. 



670 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



But, the combination of the affectionate appeals 
of the Epistle, taken together with the sad proph- 
ecies of the Gospel, are in the highest degree edify- 
ing, and furnish a lesson, most needful and sea- 
sonable to us at this time; for the faith of some is 
weakened. That Christian charity which the Epistle 
describes, waxes colder in others, by observing this 
state of Christ's Church, which is in fact only what 
the Gospel predicted. 

The purport of the parable, represents the present 
and future state of the Kingdom of heaven, the visi- 
ble Church. Over this Christ rules, as the Kingdom 
of heaven upon earth. 

On the four preceding Sundays, Christ's glory 
has been manifested to us, by miracles which He 
wrought while He conversed with us on earth. The 
Gospel for this day refers, figuratively, to the final 
judgment, as a harvest. . . 

Good and evil may grow together, but in due time 
they are to be set asunder for ever. We see, in our 
day, that not the goodly grain only but noisome 
creeds are fast ripening. Therefore we know that 
the time draws near for the Lord of the harvest to 
discern the existing state of things, which the Gos- 
pel declares is a wonderful Epiphany, — a great man- 
ifestation of the truth of the divine Word. And 
this points forward to the other manifestation, when 
the mixture of the good and bad in the Gospel 



PRESERVATION WEEK 



671 



Church are to be separated at the Judgment- 
day. A, G. 

CHRISTIANITY INDESTRUCTIBLE. 
There is a picture frontispiece in Wycliffe's Bible 
which to my mind, is very significant, very prophetic. 
There is a fire burning and spreading rather rapidly, 
representing Christianity; and around the spreading 
fire are congregated a considerable number of sig- 
nificant and most important individuals, all endeav- 
oring to devise methods whereby they can put the 
fire out. Among the number I see there one gen- 
tleman with horns and a tail, I suppose representing 
his Satanic Majesty; and another is the Pope of 
Rome, with a few red-coated cardinals; Mahomet I 
believe has a representative there too, and there is 
another representative of infidelity; and they are all 
devising some means, suggesting some method 
whereby to extinguish the fire, and after consider- 
able cogitation one of them suggests that they should 
all make a separate effort to blow on the fire till 
they blow it out. The resolution is adopted, and 
there they are, with swollen cheeks and extended 
lips, blowing upon the fire with all their might, but, 
instead of blowing it out, they are blowing it up, 
and they blow themselves out of breath before they 
blow the fire out. It is an unquenchable flame, and 
no human power can extinguish it. 

(J?. Roberts) R. D. D. 



672 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Readings.— Gen. viii. 6 and fol. vs. Prov. i. iiL 
viii. Isaiah lix. Ixi. lxii. lxiii. 7-17. lxiv. Jer. xxxL 
10-15. S. Matt. v. xiii. 24-30. xxi. 28-32. xxvii. 
37-43. S. Luke xii. 54 to xiii. 18. xx. 41 to xxi. 5. 
S. John iv. 7-28. vi. 22-38. xiii. 1-15. Rom. viii. 
3-12. I Cor. xvi. 1-13. Gal. ii. Col. iii. 12-18 
I Tim. ii iii. I Pet. ii. 1-11. 

Articles, xix. xx. xxiii. xxxiii. xxxiv. 

THE HEART'S ORDEAL. 

The way in which a man bears temptation is what 
decides his character; yet how secret is the system 
of temptation! Who knows what is going on? 
What the real ordeal has been ? W T hat its issue was ? 
So with respect to the trial of griefs and sorrows, the 
world is again a system of secrecy. There is something 
particularly penetrating, and which strikes home, in 
those disappointments which are especially not ex- 
traordinary and make no show. What comes natur- 
ally and as a part of our situation, has a probing 
force grander strokes have not; — there is a solemnity 
and stateliness in these, but the blow which is near- 
est to common life gets the strongest hold. Is there 
any particular event which seems to have, if we may 
say so, a kind of malice in it which provokes the 
Manichean feeling in our nature, it is something in 
which we should have a difficulty in making appear 
to any one else, any special trial. Compared with 



PBESEBYATTON WEEK. 



673 



this inner grasp of some stroke of Providence, vol- 
untary sacrifice stands outside of us. After all, the 
self-made trial is a poor disciplinarian weapon: there 
is a subtle, masterly, irritant, and provoking point in 
the genuine natural trial and in the natural crossness 
of events, which the artificial thing cannot manage; 
we can no more make our trials than we can make 
our feelings. In this way moderate deprivations are 
in some cases more difficult to bear than harder 
ones. And so it is often the case that what we must 
do as simply right, and which would not strike even 
ourselves, and still less anybody else, is just the 
hardest thing to do. A work of supererogation 
would be much easier. J. B. Mozley (Pearls.) 

He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious 
seed, shall doubtless come again, with rejoici?ig, bring- 
ing His sheaves with Hi/n.—Fs, cxxvi. 6. 

Bounteous Blesser of the seed-time ! 

Sweet Refresher of the soil ! 
Great Ingatherer of the harvest ! 

For which all Thy people toil; 
O Thou Fount of every blessing 

Shower'd daily from above, 
Stoop to hear our hearts confessing ■ 

All their gladness in Thy love. 



674 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Blessed be the Hand that gave us 

Thought and feeling, life and limb, 
Blest His Heart Who died to save us, 

Blessings evermore to Him ! 
Blest the tender love which makes us 

Fit to serve Him as we ought, 
Never leaves us, nor forsakes us, 

Till into His garner brought. 

With Thy dews and sunshine tend us 

Through life's long and changeful year 
From the enemy defend us, 

Lest the tares of sin appear; 
Ever in Thy mercy sparing, 

Watching late and waiting long, 
And Thy judgment still forbearing 

Lest Thy children suffer wrong. 

Bounteous Blesser of the seed-time ! 

Sweet Refresher of the heart ! 
Great Ingatherer of the harvest ! 

O, how full of love Thou art ! 
Let Thine eye and hand the keepers 

Of our souls forever be, 
Till Thine angel harvest-reapers 

Life's full bundles bind for Thee. 

J. S. B. M. 



Psalms. clxxxi# xciii. xcv. c. 



PRESENTATION WEEK- 



675 



Anthems. Any of "The Words" for the several 
days of the week. 

Hymns. 34, 54, 55, 126, 146, 162, 190 to 202, 
205, 217, 244, 286, 291, 331, 333, 338, 340, 408, 439, 
442, 45°> 5°7, 5°9> 5 I2 > 5*3, 5*9- 

Collects. Epiphany, S. Paul. S. Matthias. 
Annunciation, 3d End of C. 0, Sexagesima. 2d, 
3d, 5th and 6th in Lent. 4th, 5th, 15th, x6th, 22d 
23d and 25th of Trinity. 

i 0 pray for the peace of Jerusalem : they shall 
prosper that love Thee! Psalm cxxii. 6. 

I love Thy kingdom, Lord, 

The house of Thine abode, 
The Church our blest Redeemer saved 

With His own precious blood. 

I love thy Church, O God; 

Her walls before Thee stand, 
Dear as the apple of Thine eye, 

And graven on Thy hand. 

For her my tears shall fall; 

For her my prayers ascend; 
To her my cares and toils be given, 

Till toils and cares shall end. 



FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC, 

Beyond my highest joy 
I prize her heavenly ways, 

Her sweet communion, solemn vows, 
Her hymns of love and praise. 

Jesus, Thou Friend divine, 
Our Saviour and our King; 

Thy hand from every snare and foe 
Shall great deliverance bring. 

Sure as Thy truth shall last, 

To Sion shall be given 
The brightest glories earth can yield; 

And brighter bliss of heaven. 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY, 
ETC., OR PURIFICATION WEEK. 



' Ye shall be holy, for I am holy' — Lev, xi. 44, 

Guide me ever, Lord, I pray, 
Guide me most this holy day; 
Guard me ever with Thy blessing, 
Guard me most when Thee confessing; 
What I cannot give thee, take— 
This poor heart, for Jesu's sake ! 

Holy every day should be, 
Holiest that I give to Thee; 
Holy every thought and feeling, 
Holiest when before Thee kneeling; 
Holy art Thou, — holy make 
This poor heart— -for Jesu's sake ! 

When my voice to Thee I raise, 

Let my soul ascend in praise; 

When my knee is bent before Thee, 

Let my bended heart adore Thee ; 
677 



678 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Thou art holy- — Father make 
Sinners such — for Jesu's sake ! 

Holy art Thou, glorious God, 

Holy is Thy bright abode, 

Holy are the saints, who round Thee 

Praise the grace by which they found Thee ; 

Holy Father, stoop to make 

Sinners such — for Jesu's sake ! 

J. S. B. M. 

HOME COLLECT. 

Grant O Lord to Thy unworthy servants grace to 
resist all the false promptings and consolations of 
the world, the flesh and the devil, and give us in all 
things, by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, 
knowledge of Thy will, and a care to do the same ; 
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 

C. F. H. 

COMMENTS. 

Every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth him- 
self, even as He is pitre.—I. John iii. 3. 

He that hath this hope in Him — by Him, by His 
grace, and before Him as the only foundation— the 
hope setbef 'ore us, purifieth himself ', sanctifies himself. 
And this sanctity, what is it but humility, chastity, 



PURIFICATION WEEK. 



679 



patience, temperance, meekness, love, and all those 
virtues by which the soul is separated from common 
and unclean uses, and dedicated to the service of 
God ? for he is sanctified who is set apart for God's 
service, who is offered up to Him, and consecrated 
to God. 

Let us remember that those only will be like 
Christ in heaven who have been like Him in purity 
of life upon earth. The life beyond the grave is but 
the continuance of that life which was begun upon 
earth. 

And this hope in God He Himself planted in us, 
It is one fruit of our Sonship. We have then, 
here— 

(i.) The prevenient Grace of God asserted— He 
made us His sons. 

(2.) We have the free-will of man declared— he 
puri fifth himself. 

Let us note here how clearly the free-will of man 
is asserted. Man is called upon to purify himself. 
For, though the strength and even the inclination to 
purify himself come from God, and both spring out 
of our hope in Him, and God is He who ultimately 
purifies the heart of man; yet He purifies none who 
are unwilling, nay, none who are not active in this 
work of purification, and are not fellow-labourers 
with Him in this work of sanctification. For if God 
purifies us, He does not do this without our consent 



680 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



and co-operation. Therefore, when we unite our 
strivings with God's grace, we do purify ourselves. 
Let us not forget — 

(i.) That as God, Who in His essence is pure, the 
Holy One, manifests His essential holiness by out- 
ward works, so must we show forth to others that 
purity to which we have attained. 

(2.) That as Christ took to Him our nature and 
preserved it free from sin, so must we sanctify our 
nature and preserve it from pollution, imitating Him 
not in the degree of His purity — for to this we can- 
not attain in this life— but in the likeness of His 
purity, to which we may attain. W. D. 

6 Every one tliat hath this hope purifieth himself;' • 
that is, it sets them upon qualifying themselves by 
purity of heart and life for the blessedness they hope 
for. To purify supposes pollution, and signifies the 
cleansing or washing it away; it is a figurative ex- 
pression, taken chiefly from the goldsmith or refiner, 
who, by melting silver or other metal in the fire, 
purifies and refines it from its dross. To this the 
Psalmist alludes, in saying, 'The words of the Lord 
are pure words, even as the silver which in the fur- 
nace is tried and purified seven times in the fire.' 
(Psal. xii. 6). Hence he promised the house of Israel, 
to 4 purge away all their dross, and take away all their 
tin,' (Isa. i. 25); that is, to refine them from the 



PURIFICATION WEEK. 



681 



dregs of corrupt nature, and to take away the guilt 
and stain of all their impurities. The prophet Mai- 
achi foretold of the Messias, that He should i come 
as the refiner's fire and as fuller's soap, to purify the 
sons of Levi, and to purge them as gold and silver, 
to offer to the Lord a sacrifice in righteousness.' 
(Mai. iii. 2, 3). 

Accordingly Christ is said to give Himself to 
redeem us from all iniquity, and 4 to purify to Him- 
self a peculiar people, zealous of good works.' (Tit. 
ii. 14). And here the hope that a Christian hath in 
Him is said to put him upon purifying himself; that 
is the purging away the corruption of his nature, and 
advancing it, as far as he can, to the highest pitch of 
purity and perfection. 

Now to purify himself here implies the purity both 
of heart and life. The former consists in the sin- 
gleness and sincerity of the heart, in the purity and 
simplicity of the intention, without any mixture of 
guile or hypocrisy, fraud, or double-dealing; doing 
all things with an honest and upright mind, free from 
all evil and corrupt designs. To this we are called 
by S. James, chap. iv. 8. 6 Cleanse your hands, ye 
sinners ; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded.' 
And they that do so are by our Saviour pronounced 
blessed, Matt. v. 8. ' Blessed are the pure in heart, 
for they shall see God.' 

The latter, viz., purity of life, consists in the inno- 



682 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



cence of our behaviour, or the integrity of our words 
and actions, abstaining from all the impurities of 
sensual lusts, and 4 possessing our vessels in sanctih- 
cation and honour, not in the lust of concupiscence, 
like the Gentiles, that know not God/ 

To this a Christian's hope of everlasting life strong- 
ly obliges, as appears by that saying of the apostle, 
2 Cor. vii. i. ' Having these promises, dearly beloved, 
let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and 
spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God/ Be- 
ing received by Christ as children in His family, 
and looking for an inheritance immortal, undefiled, 
reserved in heaven for us; we are now to purify 
ourselves from the pollutions of the flesh, and to keep 
ourselves unspotted from the world. But by what pat- 
tern or platform are they to purify themselves ? Why, 
it is even ' as He is pure;' that is, to be holy as He 
that hath called us is holy, to be perfect as our 
Heavenly Father is perfect, and to walk even as 
Christ walked: not that we are to come up to the 
same degrees of purity and perfection with Him, or 
to keep pace with Him in the untraceable steps of 
His exalted holiness; but to become as like Him, 
and to follow Him as near as we can. Thus every 
one that hopes to be like Him in glory, must be like 
Him in grace here; and to see Him as He is, we 
must be as He is, endeavoring to conform ourselves 
to His image, and to purify ourselves by the exam- 



PURIFICATION WEEK. 



683 



pie of His purity. The apostle proceeds to caution 
weaker Christians against being imposed upon by 
false teachers, and to labour for a right understand- 
ing in these matters. 

The end of Christ's coming was to root out all 
sin and wickedness; such as pride, lying, slandering, 
backbiting, tale-bearing, with all drawing and en- 
ticing any to sin, which are more especially the 
works of the devil, and render men most like unto 
Him ; as also to plant all kinds of virtue and holi- 
ness, which makes us like unto God, and fit us for 
the vision and enjoyment of Him. 

The Gospel of the day warns us against false 
Christs, who come on other and contrary ends, 
viz., the making us slaves to Satan, and to the doing 
of his works. 

But, besides ' false Christs,' here is, 2dly, men- 
tion made of 'false prophets.' And these were per- 
sons pretending much to inspirations, and that they 
had more and clearer revelations of the mind of 
God made to them, than to other men. They were 
styled sometimes ' false apostles, deceitful workers, 
transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.' 
2 Cor. xi. 13. Sometimes they are called by the 
name of 'false teachers,' who, ( by good words and 
fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple;' cor- 
rupting the simplicity of the Gospel, and instilling 
into men's minds the poison of heresies, errors, and 



684 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



divisions. And of this sort of false prophets too many 
are gone abroad into the world. In short, when 
David George in Holland, and John of Leyden in 
Munster, and other pretended prophets in Germany, 
deceived so many beyond the seas; and when the 
enthusiasms of Presbyterians, Anabaptists, Quakers, 
and other sectaries, who pretend to pray and 
preach by the Spirit, have deluded so many in our 
own country; it is time to hearken to our Saviour's 
advice—' Believe them not/ and 'go not after them.' 

M. H. 

Every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth him- 
self even as He is pure. — From the Epistle. 

Since but the pure in heart are blest, 

With promised vision of their God, 
Sore fear and anguish fill my breast, 

Remembering all the ways I trod; 
Mourning I see my lost estate, 

And yet in faith I dare to cry, 

O let my evil nature die, 
Another heart in me create ! 

Unworthy am I of Thy grace, 

So deep are my transgressions, Lord, 

And yet once more I seek Thy face; 
My God, have mercy, nor reward 



PURIFICATION WEEK. 



My deepen'd sins, my follies vain; 
Reject, reject me not in wrath, 
But let Thy sunshine now beam forth, 

And quicken me with hope again. 

The Holy Spirit Thou hast given, 
The wondrous pledge of love divine, 

Who fills our hearts with joys of heaven, 
And bids us earthly toys resign ; 

0 let His seal be on my heart, 
O take Him never more away, 
Until this fleshly house decay, 

And Thou shaltbid me hence depart. 

But ah ! my coward spirit droops, 
Sick with the fear that enters in 

Whene'er a soul to bondage stoops, 
And wears the shameful yoke of sin ; 

Oh quicken with the strength that flows 
From forth the Eternal Fount of Life, 
My soul half-fainting in the strife, 

And make an end of all my woes. 

1 cling unto Thy grace alone, 
Thy steadfast oath my only rest; 

To Thee, Heart-searcher, all is known 

That lieth hidden in my breast ; 
Thy gladness, Spirit, on me pour, 



686 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Thy ready will my sloth inspire, 
So shall I have my heart's desire, 
And serve and praise Thee evermore. 

L. G. 

The great purpose for which Christ was first 
manifest in the flesh is very plainly stated. 4 Ye know 
that He was manifested to take away our sins; and 
in Him is no sin.' And again: ' For this purpose 
was the Son of God manifested, that He might 
destroy the works of the devil:' an expression equiv- 
alent to the former; ' for he that sinneth is of the 
devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning.' 

The Apostle intimates the means by which this 
great purpose is effected in the souls of men. 

ist. By our regeneration and adoption. 'Now 
are we the sons of God.' God is graciously pleased 
to adopt us into His family, as His own sons and 
daughters. He authorizes us to call Him Abba, 
Father: but more than this, He sends His Spirit 
into our hearts, to incline us to use this privilege, and 
to communicate unto us the principle of a new nature 
and an endless life. And, 

2ndly, He effects His purpose towards us, by set- 
ting before us a holy hope of seeing our Saviour 
hereafter as He is, and being made like unto Him in 
soul and body. i It doth not yet appear what we shall 
be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we 



PURIFICATION WEEK. 



687 



shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. 
And every one that hath his hope in Him purifieth 
himself, even as He is pure/ 

By the grace of regeneration the seed or princi- 
ple of a new nature is given us. We are brought 
into a new relation towards God, and made capable 
of serving Him acceptably through Jesus Christ. 
And thus, having the hope set before us of complete 
restoration at the Lord's appearing, we are to purify 
ourselves gradually, as He is pure; by the aid of that 
grace, which is given more and more abundantly, as 
we more diligently use it. 

It is evident, from the Apostle's words, that the 
process of a gradual approach unto Christ's infinite 
pureness is ever going on in ' the sons of God;' and 
will never be completely effected until He shall ap- 
pear again, and they shall see Him as He is. So 
that the grace of regeneration is a gift distinct from 
that of the progressive sanctification under the puri- 
fying influence of a holy hope. Regeneration is 
one gift, and this progressive sanctification is another 
gift. It is well to notice this ; because many of the 
disputes which have divided God's Church would 
have been avoided, had this distinction been at- 
tended to. 

Well may we thus exclaim with the Apostle, 1 Be- 
hold, what manner of love the Father hath be- 
stowed upon us, that we shall be called the sons of 
God.' 



688 SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 

And these present privileges are nothing, when 
compared with that glory which awaits the sons of 
God at their Lord's return. We know not its exact 
nature ; but this much we know, that it will consist 
in being like Him in soul and body; and that this 
likeness will result from our seeing Him as He is. 
All sin and suffering of soul and body will be over. 
Beholding forever His unveiled face, His people will 
be changed into the same image from glory to glory. 
For that blessed day and that glorious appearing 
they wait with earnest desire, but patient hope: and 
the hope of it is their great motive to continual 
growth in purity. The soul that is hoping for what 
is so real and permanent turns away its eyes from 
the best things of this perishable world, as unworthy 
of its supreme affection. The soul that is hoping 
for what is so bright and pure learns to loathe what 
is sensual and evil. The soul that is hoping to see 
Christ as He is, and to be like Him, will endeavour 
to resemble Him now by following Him in lowliness, 
patience, and charity. 

And what we should consider is this: Does our 
Christian hope produce this purifying effect on our 
hearts and lives? Is the thought of our Saviour's 
return the great source of comfort and support to 
us under the troubles of life ? Does it lead us to 
prepare for that return by steadily putting away 
whatever is at variance with His infinite purity ? 



PURIFICATION WEEK. 



689 



Remember it will not profit us to have been the sons 
of God, if we sink back to the likeness of Satan. It 
will not profit us to be called Christians, or to have 
had good feelings and desires, or to be able to talk 
fluently on religion, if we do not His will. ' Little 
children, let no man deceive you; he that doeth 
righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous. 
He that committeth sin is of the devil/ 

W. J. T. 

THE PURE IN HEART. 
Blessed are the pure in heart. 

Prepared their God to see; 
Jesus, to my soul impart 

Thy spotless purity; 
Let thy grace my soul o'erflow, 

And all my sinfulness remove; 
Thus the essential bliss bestow, 

The purity of love. 

C. W. 

1 Keep thyself pure.' I Tim. v. 22. 

Adultery, in its proper sense is, ' the violation of 
the marriage vow ; " but of course according to the 
Christian spirit, we must advance much further than 
this. I shall take adultery in its figurative or secon- 
dary sense, just as I find, in Holy Scripture, that it is 
used by the prophets and other holy writers, and just 
as, in fact, we ourselves use it in common conversa- 



690 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



tion; for we continually say, when we say of such 
and such an article of food, that it is ' adulterated/ 
meaning thereby, that its purity is lost. Consider it 
thus. There is an original purity and perfection in 
the thing of which we speak, and such as we imagine 
it ought to be. But something foreign, vicious, and 
inferior to itself, is put into it; and when this some- 
thing foreign, vicious, and inferior to itself, is so put 
into it, we say that it is 1 adulterated.' 

. . . There are two principles to keep in view- 
defilement of what is pure, and separation of what is 
one. . . . You have the idea of the husband and 
wife; you have the idea of the Church of God. 
Whatever separates the intended junction is adulter- 
ous. This is granted. Well, then go a little further 
with me. Is there not, in the same degree, a union 
between the individual Christian and God, as there 
is between the Church and God ? Surely there is. 
For consider what the privileges of Baptism are. . . 
By Baptism a Christian is made the child of God — 
he is born of the Spirit — he is one with the Spirit, 
as begotten of Him — he is united with the Spirit, 
and it is said that his body is the ' temple of the 
Holy Ghost,' and that the ' Holy Ghost dwells in 
his body/ I Cor. iii. 16. Therefore whatever dis- 
severs this union so begun and sacramentally made 
at baptism, is, in the figurative sense, adultery. But 
what dissevers this union ? Filthiness of the body ; 



PUEEFICATION WEEK. 



691 



lusts of the flesh; evil concupiscence; lasciviousness, 
and other like things, generally described and known 
under the word Impurity. These things are said to 
do ' despite the Spirit,' to draw the Spirit away, to 
* quench the Spirit,' because sin and the Spirit 
cannot dwell together. Thence it follows that all 
these things are figuratively ranked as adulterous — 
they are justly so ranked, first, in the primary sense, 
because they tend to the sin of adultery, and secondly, 
in the figurative sense, because, even though they do 
not proceed to the actual sin, yet they do discover 
the union between the Christian and the Holy Ghost, 
and by the introduction of a foreign and vicious mat- 
ter, corrupt that which was sound, and defile that 
which was holy. . . 

Purity of the body may be violated in several ways, 
the chief of which will be — ■ 
I: In regard to eating. 
II. In regard to drinking. 

III. In regard to lusts of the flesh. 

. . . Reflect that, as a Christian, taking the high- 
est ground of your calling, you are taught by the 
Apostle that, 'whether you eat or drink, or whatever 
you do, you are to do it to the glory of God, i. e., 
have His glory in remembrance. . . ' Revellers, 
banquetters, drunkards, and such like, shall not in- 
herit the kingdom of God.' . . <tf All that is in the 
world, the lust of the flesh , and the lust of the eyes, 



692 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTEB EPIPHANY, ETC. 



and the pride of life, is not of the Father' (I S. John 
ii. 16.) 6 The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the 
spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary the 
one to the other, (Gal. v. 17). . . i Mortify, there- 
fore, your members which are upon the earth.' 
(Coloss. iii. 5.) W. J. E. B. 

PURITY AND SOBERNESS. 

' Thou shall not commit adultery/ Exodus xx. 14. 

The Scripture writers do not avoid the awful sub- 
ject of the Seventh Commandment, nor must we. 
Indeed, it is specially insisted on by our Blessed 
Lord Himself and 'woe is unto us if we preach not 
His Gospel.' Let us rather see how solemnly His 
interpretation shows us, in this as in other instances, 
the depth and breadth of the commandment of God; 
and how very fully His Holy Spirit, speaking by the 
Apostles whom He had chosen, teaches us the 
deadly danger of the sins of the flesh. Under the 
guidance of that good Spirit, and following the doc- 
trine of that spotless Lord, we must tell men 
plainly what are the sins forbidden, what the duties 
set before us, in this commandment which was or- 
dained to be for our life. 

The Seventh Commandment, as briefly explained in 
the comprehensive words of the Church Catechism, 
bids me ' keep my body in temperance, soberness and 
chastity.' But we must always take the letter of 



PURIFICATION "WEEK. 



693 



God's law before we search out its spirit, and we 
must begin by calling a s'pade a spade ere we use it 
for digging deep down into our hearts ajid lives. 

I. Foremost, then, among the evil habits which 
the Lord our God has here condemned, is the crime 
of adultery — that is, unfaithfulness to the marriage 
vow. In that vow, taken in the presence of God, 
the husband promises to keep himself only to his 
wife; the wife promises to keep herself only to her 
husband, so long as they both shall live. This 
fidelity is to be for life ; and for this reason, as 
stated by our Lord Himself; He that made 
mankind at the beginning, made them male and 
female, and said, 1 For this cause shall a man leave 
father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife ; and 
they twain shall be one flesh. Wherefore they are 
no more twain, but one flesh.' Divorce may sunder 
the bonds of the civil contract, but cannot sunder 
the bonds of the ordinance of God in holy matri- 
mony ; from the time that the minister pronounces 
that they be man and wife together, in the Name of 
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, 
they are one till death do part them. When, there- 
fore, either of them acts disloyally to the other, 
grievous is the sin against God the Father, Who 
has ordained marriage; against God the Son — Who 
not only adorned and beautified a wedding with His 
Presence, but actually regards the oneness of the 



694 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



man and the woman as a type and figure of the un- 
broken unity betwixt Himself and the Church — and 
against God the Holy Ghost, Who has both joined 
us to Christ, the Spiritual Bridegroom, and also 
made our bodies His temple, that, whether married 
or unmarried, we might keep ourselves undeflled 
members of Christ's body. Those who are married 
in the Lord, married with the Blessing of His Church, 
married so as to maintain their union with Him, are 
as thoroughly undenled as those who abide in single 
life ; for ' marriage is honourable in all.' How ter- 
rible it is that this honourable estate, thus instituted of 
God, thus commended by Christ, should be marred 
and broken by the selfishness and wickedness of the 
husband or the wife ? How needful to repeat, and in 
these days of ours as much as ever, the strict com- 
mands, the tremendous warnings, of God against 
adultery ! 

But there is another sin, far more common and 
equally damnable, as Holy Writ bears witness — the 
sin of fornication — -of committing uncleanliness with 
an unmarried woman. Not one in a thousand 
knows what shame is implied in the very word. 
i Know ye not,' asks the Apostle, * that your bodies 
are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the 
members of Christ, and make them the members of 
an harlot ? God forbid.' How can anyone for whom 
Christ died speak of this as if it was no great sin ? 



PUEIFICATION WEEK. 



695 



How can we dare to set aside such plain Scriptural 
statements as this: ' Ye know that no whoremonger, 
nor unclean person, hath any inheritance in the king- 
dom of Christ and of God ? (Eph. v. 5). 'The 
ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and 
He pondereth all his goings.' (Prov. v. 15-21,) 

And this same remembrance of those all-watching 
eyes, that heart-searching Spirit, should guard us 
against another of our evil ways, already glanced at 
in a passage from the Holy Scriptures — the habit of 
uncleanliness and laciviousness; those impure words, 
and deeds, and thoughts, which are really among 
the works of the flesh; that readiness for every pleas- 
ure, that wanton delight in self-indulgence, which im- 
peril the very life of the soul, because they so utterly 
hinder the growth of faith and the power of repen- 
tance. How much is included in this general des- 
cription ! There are the secret, filthy habits which 
we should be ashamed for another to see ; there is a 
liking for those books and pictures which inflame 
our desires as with the fire of hell; there is the use 
of corrupt communication, in which we are self- 
condemned, because we would not for the world 
have this talk of ours overheard by any one whom 
we love or respect; there is the thought of the heart; 
the lust of the eyes ; which, if allowed, might even 
ruin our salvation, Jesus Himself testified, 4 Ye have 
heard that it hath been said by them of old time, 



696 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Thou shalt not commit adultery; but I say unto you, 
That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after 
her hath committed adultery with her already in his 
heart/ (S. Matt. v. 27, 28.) 

Once more it must be borne in mind that glut- 
tony and intemperance and every species of self- 
indulgence tend to breaches of this commandment. 
We all know, though we do not all of us act as if we 
knew, that such sins are again and again throughout 
the New Testament spoken of as barring men from 
Heaven, as, for example, when S. Paul says, 4 Be not 
deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor 
adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves 
with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunk- 
ards y nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the 
kingdom of God, (I Cor. vi. 9, to). But the point 
before us is the connection between these sins just 
mentioned, and such self-indulgent habits as glut- 
tony, and intemperance. These do in truth lead on 
to those. This is illustrated by the instance of Sodom 
and Gomorrah, those wicked cities of the plain. i Be- 
hold,' saith the unerring wisdom of God by Ezekiel 
to the sin-stained Jerusalem, 1 Behold, this was the 
iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, 
and abundance of idleness, was in her and in her 
daughters, . . . and they were haughty, and com- 
mitted abomination before Me ; therefore I took 
them away as I saw good/ (Ezek. xvi. 49, 50.) 



PURIFICATION WEEK. 



697 



Let us beware of this selfish, greedy, sensual, idle life; 
it may increase upon us, and at last drown us in de- 
struction and perdition. 

II. But if we wish, by God's help, steadily to set 
ourselves against these sins, we must practice also 
the contrary graces, as implied partly in the com- 
mandment itself, partly in the calls and exhortations 
of our Heavenly Father throughout His Holy Word, 
partly in the noble and self-renouncing characters of 
His Saints. These, then, are the special duties set 
before us. As husbands and wives, we should love 
one another with a pure heart fervently, keeping up 
all tender affection, not seeking merely our own 
gratification, but each other's good. As heads of 
families we must, by precept, but much more by ex- 
ample, teach all in the household to be sober, to be 
discrete and chaste, to be keepers at home. As per- 
sons who are tempted, we must constantly guard 
ourselves by the armor of God, and the clothing of 
humility. As persons who might otherwise tempt 
others, we should, like the patriarch, make a cove- 
nant with our eyes, be modest in our dress, careful 
over our words, not suffering uncleanness to be once 
named amongst us, as becometh saints. (Eph. v. 3). 
As Christians, bound to live by rule, we must exer- 
cise ourselves in ways of temperance in eating, and 
of soberness in drinking. Moderation is a true 
Christian duty, and a very necessary one* Total ab- 



698 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



stinence is very useful to some, but it is not essential, 
nor is it good, for all. 

Still, knowing the dangers to be avoided, the ten- 
dencies to be mastered in ourselves, we shall find 
occasional abstinence to be among the Scriptural aids 
appointed for us. For we have such lusts and pas- 
sions to contend with in our members that, if we are 
in earnest, we shalf do as did S. Paul, keep under 
our body and bring it into subjection. (I Cor. ix. 
27.) Yes, we shall ask for grace to use such absti- 
nence, that our flesh being subdued to the Spirit, we 
may in all things obey God's blessed will. 

Only let us recollect that this method of self-dis- 
cipline is only a part of the Christian rule which en- 
ables men and women to keep the Seventh com- 
mandment in the spirit as well as in the letter. To 
make this thoroughly and constantly effectual we 
must recall the reality and the grace of our Baptism, 
saying to ourselves, ' I am baptized into the death of 
Christ, and I should walk in newness of life. I am 
a member of Christ, and must not defile His body, 
I am dedicated to God ; and as a temple dedicated 
to Him, I must cleanse myself from all filthiness of 
the flesh and spirit/ (Sadler's Church Teacher's Man- 
ual). Again we must be very careful not to run in- 
to danger ; if we place ourselves in temptation, 
among men and women who are profligate, how can 
we be safe ? Again, we must keep the words of God 



PURIFICATION WEEK, 



699 



— those awakening and alarming words, which so 
abound in the Bible — fixed and hidden within our 
hearts and consciences, that we may not sin against 
Him. 

' Blessed are the pure in heart ; for they shall see 
God/ Yes, indeed, the pure and the purified (ay, 
for are not the purified too washed white in the blood 
of the Lamb ?) Look forward to that blessed hope- 
distant though it seems as yet — of being like Him ; 
of seeing Him as He is; of resting in His holy pres- 
ence, without the shame of sin, or the fear of a re- 
lapse. It is a hope beyond the grave ; but all who 
think of it seriously can really grasp it, and, above 
all, will act upon it without delay. For ■ every man 
that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as 
He is pure.' 

Finally, let us remember that 'the time is short,' 
' it remaineth that they that have wives be as though 
they had none,' not utterly taken up with married life 
but caring for the things of the Lord, how they may 
please the Lord ; ' And they that use this world, as 
not using it to the full,' not absorbed by it, nor thor- 
oughly devoted to it; and they that have a merry 
heart, as men who still are ready once in each week 
to fast with Jesus Christ, not in order to boast 
themselves with the Pharisee, but so as to keep a re- 
straint over the appetites, to gain the power of Chris- 
tian abstinence, the blessing of habitual self-control. 



700 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



We, on our heavenward course, and in our spiritual 
combat, must learn a lesson from the wrestlers and 
the runners who contend for earthly prizes. They 
have to conquer themselves, or never they would con- 
quer others. ' Every man that striveth for the mas- 
tery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to 
obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible. 

R, G. C. 



PURITY OF HEART DESIRED. 
O for a heart to praise my God, 

A heart from sin set free! 
A heart that always feels Thy blood 

So freely spilt for me! 

A heart resign'd, submissive, meek, 
My great Redeemer's throne; 

Where only Christ is heard to speak, 
Where Jesus reigns alone ; 

A humble, lowly, contrite heart, 

Believing, true, and clean ; 
Which neither Ufe nor death can part 

From Him that dwells within: 

A heart in every thought renew'd 

And full of love divine; 
Perfect, and right, and pure, and good, 

A copy, Lord, of thine! C. W 



PUKIFICATION WEEK. 



T01 



From the subject of last Sunday, we pass by a very 
natural transition, into that of this Sunday, the last 
and gr'^at Epiphany, the full and final manifestation 
of the Sons of God ; and that by an arrangement 
peculiar to our own Church in its appointment of the 
Epistle and Gospel, and Collect appropriate to 
the same. For the Collect in a beautiful manner 
combines in prayer the lesson of both, the mystery 
of the Incarnation, the purification it requires, and 
the last appearance of Christ to which it points, . . 

And now, after the Epistle has exhorted us to 
that strength and light which may be within, the Gos- 
pel informs us of those dangers which will be 
without, in this our time of waiting ; such as will be 
the forerunners of that great and last appearing,— 
meteor lights before the dawn, which will imitate the 
Bright Morning Star. W. S. E. G. 

Each Sunday after the Epiphany has brought be- 
fore us in its sevices some ' manifestation ' of our 
Blessed Lord's power and Divinity. To-day we are 
reminded why He was manifested - that He might 
destroy all evil, and make us, His members, fit for 
the inheritance of the saints in light. 'O God, 
Whose blessed Sox was manifested that He might 
destroy the works of the devil, and make us the sons 
of God, and heirs of eternal life.' It is with these 
words that the Collect for to-day's service begins, 



702 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



and we may find a similar passage in the first Epistle 
of S. John: " For this purpose was the Son of God 
manifested that He might destroy the works of the 
devil.' All sin is the work of the devil. It was he 
who tempted Adam and E ve in the garden of Eden, 
and so ' sin entered into the world, and death by sin.' 
Ever since then he has gone on tempting mankind 
to commit sin, and to do his 'works,' in order that 
they may lose their heavenly inheritance. Jesus 
i destroyed the works of the devil ' in His own per- 
son — He resisted the temptations of the devil in the 
wilderness, He cast the unclean spirits out of those 
who were possessed of them. ' With authority com- 
mandeth He even the unclean spirits, and they do 
obey Him ;' (S. Mark i. 27) and by His glorious Res- 
urrection He overcame death, which is a work of 
the devil, and opened unto us the gate of everlasting 
life. He ' destroys the works of the devil' now, in 
that He gives us power and strength to resist the 
temptations of the devil, to subdue our evil passions, 
and to overcome our besetting sins. We are indeed 
the sons of God, and heirs of eternal life. We have 
a glorious inheritance awaiting us in the kingdom of 
our Father, still we cannot izeXsiire of obtaining it; 
we may lose it by our sins, but we have still the 
'blessed hope of everlasting life/ to encourage us in 
our journey through this world. We therefore go on 
to pray in the Collect; ' Grant that we, having 



PURIFICATION WEEK. 



703 



this hope may purify ourselves even as He is pure; 
that when He shall appear again with power and 
great glory, we may be made like Him in His eter- 
nal and glorious kingdom.' We must be pure and 
holy if we would hope to enter that ' eternal and 
glorious kingdom/ where we shall be made like unto 
our Blessed Lord. 

The Epistle teaches us the same lesson in nearly 
the same words. S. John, after speaking of the love 
which the Father hath bestowed upon us in calling 
us His sons, goes on to say, ' Beloved, now are we 
the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we 
shall be ; but we know that when He shall appear, 
we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is/ 
We are now the ' sons of God/ because we have 
been adopted into His family and gifted with His 
Holy Spirit. ' It doth not yet appear what we shall 
be; ' because whilst we are in this life we cannot un- 
derstand, nor even imagine, what will be the glorious 
future of the heirs of eternal life. But one thing we 
know; that when we shall be raised from our sleep 
in the grave, on the morning of the Resurrection, we 
shall be made like unto Jesus, for we shall see Him 
as He is; we shall be raised with a glorified body, 
perfectly pure and holy, freed forever from the 
stains of earth and the corruptions of sin. This is 
the hope of the Christian. 'And every man that 
hath this hope purineth himself, even as He is pure/ 



704 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Even so we must ' purify ourselves/ — that is, 
must keep ourselves pure and clean from sin whilst 
we are on earth if we would be made like unto Jesus 
in His glorious kingdom hereafter. It is the blood of 
Jesus Christ only which can purify us. 4 The blood 
of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin/ 
(I S. John i. 7.)— still there is much that we may 
all do through God's grace towards keeping our- 
selves pure, in thought, word, and deed. Let us 
never go into the company of those who would 
tempt us to commit an impure action, or to join in 
profane indecent conversation, or to jest on improper 
subjects. Some of us have greater temptations than 
others, thus openly to transgress the law of purity. 
Such I would entreat, most earnestly, to keep out of 
the society of those whose lives and conversation are 
wicked and impure, and to avoid standing at the 
corners of the streets, sitting in public houses, fre- 
quenting fairs and shows, and dancing booths, &c, 
In such places as these, and from the persons whom 
we may meet there, we shall see and hear nothing 
good ; rather we shall be made impure ourselves. 
We cannot walk through the mire and dirt, and at 
the same time keep ourselves clean. In like manner 
we cannot even listen to the 'filthy language and con- 
versation' of others without being denied ourselves, 
and so we shall lose the purity without which we can- 
not 'see the Lord.' for ' neither fornicators, nor idol- 



PUEIFICATION WEEK. 



705 



aters, nor adulterers, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor 
drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit 
the kingdom of God.' (I Cor. vi. 9, 10). 

Above all, let us keep watch over our hearts, and 
guard against all impure, unholy thoughts, all cov- 
etous and deceitful thoughts — for out of ' the heart 
proceed evil thoughts,' which, if unchecked, will 
lead to impure words and deeds. Let us strive then 
to purify ourselves, even as Jesus Christ is pure, if 
we do not try to be like Him now, we shall not be 
made like Him heraafter ; it is only the 1 pure in 
heart,' who shall 4 see God,' 

The Gospel for to-day's service leads our thoughts 
to Christ's Second Manifestation, by describing the 
signs and wonders which will appear just before the 
end of the world, and which will announce 'the com- 
ing of the Son of Man.' 'The sun shall be dark- 
ened, and the mocn shall not give her light, and the 
stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of hea- 
ven shall be shaken.' ' And then shall they see the 
Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, with 
power and great glory.' ' And He shall send His 
angels with a- great sound of a trumpet, and they 
shall gather together His elect from the four winds, 
from one end of heaven to the other,' Terrible and 
awful indeed, will be Christ's Second Manifestation^ 
to those who have never striven to ' purify them- 
selves;' but to ' His elect ' it will bring a blessed 



706 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTEB EPIPHANY, ETC. 



and glorious change, for they will be looking * for the 
Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ ; Who shall 
change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like 
unto His Glorious Body, according to the working 
whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto 
Himself.' (Phil iii. 21). S. T. 

Of Sobriety in the General Sense. 

Christian religion, in all its moral parts, is nothing 
else but the law of nature, and great reason, comply- 
ing with the great necessities of all the world, and 
promoting the great profit of all relations, and car- 
rying us through all accidents of variety of chances 
to that end, which God hath from eternal ages pur- 
posed for all that live according to it, and which He 
hath revealed in Jesus Christ ; and, according to 
the apostle's arithmetic, hath but these three parts 
of it; 1. Sobriety, 2. Justice, 3. Religion. 6 For 
the grace of God bringing salvation hath appeared 
to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness 
and worldly lusts, we should live, 1. Soberly, 2. 
Righteously, and 3, Godly, in this present world, 
looking for that blessed hope, and glorious appear- 
ing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus 
Christ.' The first contains all our deportment in 
our personal and private capacities, the fair treating 
of our bodies and our spirits. The second enlarges 
our duty in all relations to our neighbour. The 



PURIFICATION WEEK. 



707 



third contains the offices of direct religion, and in- 
tercourse with God. 

Christian sobriety is all that duty, that concerns 
ourselves in the matter of meat, and drink, and 
pleasures, and thoughts ; and it hath within it the 
duties of i. Temperance, 2. Chastity, 3. Humility, 
4. Modesty, 5. Content. 

Evil Consequences of Voluptuousness or Sensuality. 

1. A longing after sensual pleasures is a dissolu- 
tion of the spirit of a man, and makes it loose, soft, 
and wandering ; unapt for noble, wise, or spiritual 
employments ; because the principles, upon which 
pleasure is chosen and pursued, are sottish, weak, 
and unlearned, such as prefer the body before the 
soul, the appetite before reason, sense before the 
spirit, the pleasures of a short abode before the 
pleasures of eternity. 

2. The nature of sensual pleasure is vain, empty, 
and unsatisfying, biggest always in expectation, and 
a mere vanity in the enjoying, and leaves a sting 
and thorn behind it, when it goes off. 

3. Sensual pleasure is a great abuse to the spirit 
of a man, being a kind of fascination or witchcraft, 
blinding the understanding and enslaving the will. 
And he that knows he is free-born or redeemed with 
the blood of the Son of God, will not easily suffer 
the freedom of his soul to be entangled and rifled. 

4. It is most contrary to. the state of a Christian, 



708 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



whose life is a perpetual exercise, a wrestling and 
warfare, to which sensual pleasure disables him, by- 
yielding to that enemy, with whom he must strive, if 
ever he will be crowned. And this argument the 
apostle intimated: 1 He that striveth for masteries 
is temperate in all things; now they do it to obtain 
a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible.' (I. 
Cor. ix. 25.) 

5. It is by a certain consequence the greatest im- 
pediment in the world to martyrdom; that being a 
fondness, this being a cruelty to the flesh; to which 
a Christian man, arriving by degrees, must first have 
crucified the lesser affections ; for he, that is over- 
come by little arguments of pain, will hardly consent 
to lose his life with torments. 

Rules for suppressing Voluptuousness. 

The precepts and advices, which are of best and 
of general use in the curing of sensuality, are these: 

1. Accustom thyself to cut off all superfluity in 
the provisions of thy life, for our desires will enlarge 
beyond the present possession, so long as all the 
things of this world are unsatisfying ; if therefore 
you suffer them to extend beyond the measures of 
necessity or moderated conveniency, they will still 
swell ; but you reduce them to a little compass, 
when you make nature to be your limit. 

2. Suppress your sensual desires in their first ap- 
proach ; for then they are least, and thy faculties 



"PURIFICATION WEEK. 



709 



and election are stronger ; but if they, in their 
weakness, prevail upon thy strengths; there will be 
no resisting them when they are increased, and thy 
abilities lessened. You shall scarce obtain of them 
to end, if you suffer them to begin. 

3. Divert them with some laudable employment 
and take off their edge by inadvertency, or a not 
attending to them. 

4. Look upon pleasures, not upon that side which 
is next the sun, or where they look beauteously ; that 
is, as they come towards you to be enjoyed, for then 
they paint, and smile, and dress themselves up in 
tinsel and glass gems, and counterfeit imagery ; but 
when thou hast rifled and discomposed them with 
enjoying their false beauties, and that they begin to 
go off, thou behold them in their nakedness and 
weariness. 

5. Often consider and contemplate the joys of 
heaven, that when they have filled thy desires which 
are the sails of the soul, thou mayest steer only 
thither, and never more look back to Sodom. 

6. To this the example of Christ and His apostles, 
of Moses, and all the wise men of all ages of the 
world, will much help ; who, understanding how to 
distinguish good from evil, did choose a sad and 
melancholy way to felicity, rather than the broad, 
pleasant, and easy path, to folly, and misery. 

But this is but the general. Its first particular is 
temperance. 



710 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY ETC. 



Rules for Obtaining Temperance. 

1. Be not often present at feasts, nor at all in dis- 
solute company, when it may be avoided ; for 
variety of pleasing objects steals away the heart of 
man ; and company is either violent or enticing ; 
and we are weak or complying, or perhaps desirous 
enough to be absurd. 

2. Be severe in your judgment concerning your 
proportions, and let no occasion make you enlarge 
far beyond your ordinary. 

3. Come not to table, but when thy need invites 
thee; and if thou beest in health, leave something of 
thy appetite unfilled, something of thy natural heat 
unemployed, that it may secure thy digestion, and 
serve other needs of nature or the spirit. 

4. Propound to thyself (if thou beest in a capacity) 
a constant rule of living, of eating and drinking; 
which though it may not be fit to observe scrupu- 
lously, lest it become a snare to thy conscience, or 
endanger thy health upon every accidental violence ; 
yet let not thy rule be broken often nor much, but 
upon great necessity and in small degrees. 

5. Never urge any man to eat or drink beyond his 
own limits, and his own desires. 

6. Use S. Paul's instruments of sobriety. ' Let us 
who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breast- 
plate of faith and love, and for an helmet the hope 
of salvation. ' Faith, hope, and charity, are the best 



PURIFICATION WEEK. 



711 



weapons .in the world to fight against intemper- 
ance. 

7. As a pursuance of this rule, it is a good advice, 
that as we begin and end all our times of eating with 
prayer and thanksgiving ; so, at the meals, we re- 
move and carry up our mind and spirit to the celes- 
tial table, often thinking of it, and often desiring it ; 
that by enkindling thy desire to heavenly banquets 
thou mayest be indifferent and less passionate for 
the earthly. 

8. Mingle discourses, pious, or in some sense prof- 
itable, and in all senses charitable and innocent, 
with thy meal, as occasion is ministered. 

9. Let your drink so serve 3/our meat, as your 
meat doth your health; that it may be apt to convey 
and digest it, and refresh the spirits ; but let it never 
go beyond such a refreshment, as may a little 
heighten the present load of a sad or troubled spirit; 
never to inconvenience, lightness, sottishness, vanity 
or intemperance ; and know, that the loosing the 
bands of the tongue, and the very first dissolution of 
its duty, is one degree of the intemperance. 

10. In all cases be careful that you be not brought 
under the power of such things, which otherwise are 
lawful enough in the use. 

11. Use those advices, which are prescribed as in- 
struments to suppress voluptuousness, in the forego- 
ing section. 



712 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Of Chastity. 

Reader, stay, and read not the advices of the fol- 
lowing section, unless thou hast a chaste spirit; or de- 
sires! to be chaste ; or at least are apt to consider, 
whether you ought or no. 

Chastity is that duty, which was mystically in- 
tended by God in the law of circumcision. It is the 
circumcision of the heart, the cutting off of all 
superfluity of naughtiness, and a suppression of all 
irregular desires in the matter of a sensual or carnal 
pleasure. 

I call all desires irregular and sinful, that are not 
sanctified ; i. By the holy institution, or by being 
within the protection of marriage ; 2. By being 
within the order of nature ; 3. By being within the 
moderation of Christian modesty. Against the first 
are fornication, adultery and all voluntary pollu- 
tions of either sex. Against the second are all un- 
natural lusts and incestuous mixtures. Against the 
third is all immoderate use of permitted beds ; con- 
cerning which judgment is to be made, as concern- 
ing meats and drinks ; there being no certain degree 
of frequency or intention prescribed to all persons, 
but it is to be ruled as the other actions of a man, by 
proportion to the end, by the dignity of the person, 
in the honour and severity of being a Christian, and 
by other circumstances, of which I am to give ac- 
count. 



PURIFICATION WEEK. 



713 



Chastity is that ^race, which forbids and restrains 
all these, keeping the body and soul pure in that 
state, in which it is placed by God, whether of the 
single or of the married life. Concerning which our 
duty is thus described by S. Paul, ' For this is the 
will of God, even your sanctincation, that ye should 
abstain from fornication ; that every one of you 
should abstain from fornication ; that every one of 
you should know how to possess his vessel in sancti- 
fication and honour ; not in the lust of concupis- 
cence, even as the Gentiles which know not God.' 
(I Thess. iv. 3-5.) 

Chastity is either abstinence or continence. Ab- 
stinence is that of virgins or widows ; continence of 
married persons. 

Natural virginity, of itself, is not a state more ac- 
ceptable to God; but that which is chosen and vol- 
untary, in order to the conveniences of religion and 
separation from worldly encumbrances, is therefore 
better than the married life, not that it is more holy, 
but that it is a freedom from cares, and opportunity 
to spend more time in spiritual employments ; it is 
not alloyed with business and attendances upon 
lower affairs ; ,and if it be a chosen condition to 
these ends, it containeth in it a victory over lusts, 
and greater desires of religion, and therefore is more 
excellent than the married life, in that degree in which 
it hath greater religion, and a greater mortification, 



714 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTEB EPIPHANY, ETC. 



a less satisfation of natural desires, and a greater 
fulness of the spiritual; and just so is to expect that 
little coronet or special reward, which God hath 
prepared (extraordinary and besides the great crown 
of all faithful souls) for those, ' who have not denied 
themselves with women, but follow the Virgin Lamb 
forever.' (Apos. xiv. 4.) 

But some married persons, even in their marriage, 
do better please God, than some virgins in their 
state of virginity; they, by giving great example of 
conjugal affection, by preserving their faith unbroken, 
by educating children in the fear of God, by patience 
and contentedness and holy thoughts, and the exer- 
cises of virtues proper to that state, do not only please 
God, but do in a higher degree than those virgins, 
whose piety is not answerable to their great oppor- 
tunities and advantages. However, married persons, 
and widows, and virgins, are all servants of God and 
coheirs in the inheritance of Jesus, if they live 
within the restraints and laws of their particular es- 
tate, chastity, temperately, justly, and religiously. 

The evil consequents of Uneleanness . 

The blessings and proper effects of chastity we 
best understand, by reckoning the evils of unelean- 
ness and carnality. 

1. Uneleanness of all vices is the most shameful. 
6 The eye of the adulterer waiteth for the twilight, 
saying no eye shall see me; and disguiseth his face.' 



rUEIFIClTION* WEEK. 



715 



2. The appetites of uncleanness are full of cares 
and troubles, and its fruition is sorrow and repent- 
ance. 

3. Most of its kinds are of that condition, that 
they involve the ruin of two souls ; and he that is a 
fornicator or adulterous, steals the soul, as well as 
dishonours the body of his neighbour. 

4. Of all carnal sins it is that alone, which the 
devil takes delight to imitate arid counterfeit ; com- 
municating with witches and impure persons in the 
corporal act, but in this only. 

5. Uncleanness with all its kinds is a vice, which 
hath a professed enmity against the body. ' Every 
sin which a man doth, is without the body ; but he 
that committeth fornication, sinneth against his own 
body.' (I Cor. vi. 18.) 

6. Uncleanness is hugely contrary to the spirit of 
government by embasing the spirit of a man, making 
it effeminate, sneaking, soft, and foolish, without 
courage, without confidence. 

7. The Gospel hath added two arguments against 
uncleanness, which were never before used, nor in- 
deed could be ; since God hath given the Holy 
Spirit to them that are baptized, and rightly con- 
firmed, and entered into covenant with Him, our 
bodies are made temples of the Holy Ghost, in 
which he dwells ; and therefore uncleanness is sacri- 
lege, and defiles a temple. It is S. Paul's argument, 



716 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



i Know ye not that your body is the temple of the 
Holy Ghost ?' (I Cor. vi. 19.) and he that defiles a 
temple, him will God destroy.' (I Cor. iii, 17.) 
6 Therefore glorify God in your bodies/ that is flee 
fornication. To which, for the likeness of the argu- 
ment, add, ' that our bodies are members of Christ; 
and therefore God forbid, that we should take the 
members of Christ and make them the members of 
a harlot.' So that uncleanness dishonours Christ, 
and dishonours the Holy Spirit ; it is a sin against 
God, and in this sense a sin against the Holy Ghost. 

8. The next special argument, which the Gospel 
ministers especially against adultery, and for the 
preservation of the purity of marriage, is, that mar- 
riage is by Christ hallowed into a mystery, to sig- 
nify the sacramental and mystical union of Christ 
and His Church. (Ephes. v. 52.) He therefore that 
breaks this knot, which the Church and their mutual 
faith hath tied, and Christ hath knit up into a mys- 
tery, dishonours a great rite of Christianity, of high, 
spiritual, and excellent signification. 

9. S. Gregory reckons uncleanness to be the pa- 
rent of these monsters, blindness of mind, inconsider- 
ation, precipitancy, or giddiness in actions, self-love, 
hatred of God, love of the present pleasures, a des- 
pite or despair of the joys of religion here, or of 
heaven hereafter. Whereas a pure mind in a chaste 
body is the mother of wisdom and deliberation, 



PURIFICATION WEF,K. 



717 



sober counsels and ingenuous actions, open depot t- 
ment and sweet carriage, sincere principles and un- 
prejudicate understanding, love of God and self- 
denial, peace and confidence, holy prayers and spir- 
itual comfort, and a pleasure of spirit infinitely greater 
than the sottish and beastly pleasures of unchastity. 
i For to overcome pleasure is the greatest pleasure ; 
and no victory is greater than that which is gotten 
over our lusts and filthy inclinations/ 

10. Add to all these, the public dishonesty and 
disreputation, that all the nations of the world have 
cast upon adulterous and unhallowed embraces. 

Acts of Chastity in general. 

The actions and proper offices of the grace of 
chastity in general, are these. 

1. To resist" all imrxire thoughts. 

2. At no hand, to entertain any desire, or any fan- 
tastic or imaginative loves, though by shame, or dis- 
ability, or other circumstances, they be restrained 
from act. 

3. To have a chaste eye and hand; for it is all one 
with what part of the body we commit adultery. 

4. To have a heart and mind chaste and pure. 

5. To discourse chastely and purely ; with great 
care declining all indecencies of language, chasten- * 
ing the tongue, and restraining it with grace, as 
vapours of wine are restrained with a branch of 
myrrh. 



713 



SIXTH SUNDAY A.FTEK EPIPHANY, ETC. 



6. To disapprove by an after-act all involuntary 
and natural pollutions. 

7. They that have performed these duties and 
parts of chastity, will certainly abstain from all ex- 
terior actions of uncleanness. 

J- T. 

* Know ye not that your bodies are the members of 
Christ?'— I. Cor. vi. 15. 

Members of Christ, children of God, 

Inheritors of Heaven, 
What titles, — what a bright abode, 
Mercy to man hath given ! 

Great God — how grateful we should be 

For all that Thou hast done, 
To make poor sinners one with Thee 

Thro' Thine eternal Son ! 

What Love but Thine would e'er have thought 

That only Son to give, 
What blood but His could e'er have bought 

Tfre right for souls to live ? 

What Pow'r but Thine own gentle grace 

Could break a heart of sin, 
And then into so vile a place 

Would stoop to enter in ? 



PURIFICATION WEEK. 



719 



Father, Thy Spirit, and Thy blood 

Shall not in vain be given, 
Members of Christ, children of "God, 

We'll learn to live for Heaven. 

J. S. B. M. 

The elements of Christian purification are two- 
cleansing ourselves from filthiness of the flesh, and 
from filthiness of the spirit. A man may be free 
from sensuality, through feebleness of temptation 
in that department of his nature, or through the 
stress of asceticism, which has subdued the flesh, 
and restrains its promptings ; and yet may have 
much defilement of spirit in the shape of intellectual 
pride, which are only so much the more dangerous 
as they shock the conscience much less than sensual 
sins. i We may keep the devils without the swine,* 
says a good writer, ' but not the swine without the 
devils/ E. M. G. 

1 Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized 
into Jesus Christ, were baptized into His death ?'— 
Rom. vi. 3. 

When the three-fold Name was spoken, 
When the sacred sign was made, 

When upon our brows the token 
Of our baptism was laid: 



720 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTE3 EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Three-fold was the sacred promise, — 

To renounce, believe, and do; 
God of mercy — turn not from us 

When these vows we here renew. 

From the devil and his dangers, 
From the pomp and pride of life, 

Lord, as pilgrims and as strangers, 
Keep us in the holy strife. 

From all lusts, depraved and fleshly, 

Set our struggling spirits free, 
Strike the rock, — and gushing freshly 

All our springs be found in Thee. 

Thee— by Whom we Heaven inherit, 

We for Thee the world forsake, 
Call'd by Thine Almighty Spirit, 

And received for Jesus' sake. 

J S. B. fit. 

Jesus has many lovers of His Heavenly Kingdom, 
but few bearers of His Cross. 

He hath many desirous of consolation, but few of 
tribulation. All desire to rejoice with Him, few are 
willing to endure anything for Him, or with Him. 

But they who love Jesus for the sake of Jesus, 
and not for some special comfort of their own, bless 
Him in all tribulation and anguish of heart, as well 
as in the state of highest comfort. 

{Thomas A. Kempis) D. & Y. 



PUBITICATION WEEK. 



IMAGE OF GOD DESIRED. 
II. Peter i. 4. Coll. 3. 10. 
Maker, Saviour of mankind, 

Who hast 011 me bestow'd 
An immortal soul, design'd 

To be the house of God: 
Come, and now reside in me, 

Never, never to remove; 
Make me just, and good, like Thee, 

And full of power and love* 

Bid me in thy image rise, 

A saint, a creature new; 
True, and merciful, and wise, 

And pure, and happy too: 
This thy primitive design, 

That I should in Thee be blest; 
Should, within the arms divine, 

For ever, ever rest. 

Let Thy will on me be done; 

Fulfil my heart's desire, 
Thee to know and love alone, 

And rise in raptures higher: 
Thee, descending on a cloud, 

When with ravish'd eyes I see, 
Then I shall be fill'd with God 

To all eternity ! C. 



722 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTEB EPIPHANY, ETC. 



' We know that when He shall appear we shall be 
like Him? I John iii. 2. 

. . . Consider, 0 my soul, the wisdom, the holi- 
ness, the power, the glory, the beauty, the love of 
God. . . . 

If thou wouldst be like Him in glory, strive to be 
like Him here by grace. If thou wouldst have His 
image for ever, bear even now the image of the 
heavenly, after which, by His mercy, thou hast been 
renewed. If thou wouldst behold Him in bliss, thy 
heart must be made pure here, that by faith it may 
live to Him, Whom by the eye of the body it sees 
not. 

0 defile, then, no more that royal image in which 
He formed thee; which, when sunk in the mire of 
sin, He came to cleanse anew by His precious 
blood; which He sought out so diligently by trial 
and suffering; which He longs to show on high, re- 
joicing, to His friends and neighbours in the heav- 
enly courts. Come to Him not with the feet, but 
with the heart, and be 'enlightened, that our faces 
be not ashamed ?' looking in trust and penitence, 
and hope and love, to His divine countenance, de- 
siring that His divine features may, one by one, be 
retraced on thee. . . . 

1 Every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth 
himself, even as He is pure.' I. John iii. 3. 

And now, Lord, what is my hope ? Truly, my 



PTtelElCATiOS WEEK. 



723 



hope is solely and only in Thee. My blessed privi- 
lege, is to be a son of God; and I look for the time 
when our Lord shall appear, that, by the grace of 
His Holy Spirit working in me, I may be found fit 
for the glorious change which is then to take place 
in me. I shall be like Him ; I shall see Him as He 
is. All this I hope for from the free unmerited 
mercy of God, I deserve it not; no! I am poor 
and miserable, and blind and naked; but still I have 
this hope, and having it, I desire to purify myself, 
that I may appear not before the Lord empty. . . . 

My soul, in thy daily endeavors after holiness and 
purity, how dost thou find that the difficulty lies, for 
the most part, in small things ! When thou hast 
conquered thy worst passions, thy most evil propen- 
sities, one unbridled thought, one hasty word, will 
force in, and destroy, for the time, the work that 
thou hast hoped was going on well in thee. Be not 
discouraged : thou must be contented to work on, 
and even if it appear to thee that thou makest no 
progress, still go on, especially bearing in mind that 
in affairs of the soul, no fault is little, no sin is 
small. 

On looking at myself in this way, on watching 
myself narrowly, how precious does the redeeming 
blood of our dear Lord become ! how utterly lost 
do I find myself without it ! It is the blood of the 
cross that is in my Life, my breath, my everything. 



724, 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



It alone can save me; it alone can strengthen me; it 
alone can purify me. M. A. 

However, the Person of Jesus Christ was de- 
pressed with a load of humble accidents, and shad- 
owed with the darkness of poverty and sad contin- 
gencies, so that the Jews, and the contemporary ages 
of the Gentiles, and the apostles themselves, could 
not at first discern the brightest essence of divinity; 
yet as a beauty, artificially covered with a thin cloud 
of cypress, transmits its excellency to the eye, made 
more greedy and apprehensive by that imperfect and 
weak restraint; so was the sanctity and holiness of 
the life of Jesus glorious in its darknesses, and found 
confessors and admirers even in the midst of those 
despites which were done Him upon the contrariant 
designs of malice and contradictory ambition. Thus 
the wife of Pilate catted Him ' that just person;' 
Pilate pronounced Him ' guiltless Judas said He 
was ' innocent ;' the devil himself called Him 4 the 
Holy one of God.' For however it might concern 
any man's mistaken ends, to mislike the purpose of 
His preaching and spiritual kingdom, and those doc- 
trines which were destructive of their complacencies 
and carnal securities ; yet they could not deny but 
that He was a man of God. of exemplar sanctity, of 
an angelic chastity, of a life, sweet, affable, and com- 
plying with human conversation, and as obedient to 



PURIFICATION WEEK. 



725 



government as the most humble children of the 
kingdom, and yet He was Lord of all the world. 

And certainly very much of this was with a de- 
sign that He might shine to all the generations and 
ages of the world, and become a guiding star and a 
pillar of fire to us in our journey. For we who be- 
lieve that Jesus was perfect God and perfect man, 
do also believe that one minute of His intolerable 
passion, and every action of His, might have been 
satisfactory, and enough for the expiation and recon- 
cilement of ten thousand worlds ; and God might, 
upon a less effusion of blood, and a shorter life of 
merit, if He had pleased, have accepted human na- 
ture to pardon and favour ; but that the Holy Jesus 
hath added so many excellent instances of holiness, 
and so many degrees of passion, and so many kinds 
of virtues, is, that He might become an example to 
us, and reconcile our wills to Him, as well as our 
persons to His heavenly Father. 

And indeed it will prove but a sad consideration, 
that one drop of blood might be enough to obtain 
our pardon, and the treasures of His blood running 
out till the fountain itself was dry, shall not be 
enough to prove our conformity to Him ; that the 
smallest minute of His expense shall be enough to 
justify us, and the whole magazine shall not procure 
our sanctification ; that at a smaller expense God 
might pardon us, and at a greater we will not imitate 



726 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Him,' for therefore ' Christ hath suffered for us,' 
saith the Apostle, 1 leaving an example to us, that 
we might follow His steps.' 

In the great counsel of eternity, when God set 
down the laws and knit fast the eternal bands of pre- 
destination, He made it one of His great purposes 
to make His Son like us, that we also might be like 
His holy Son ; He, by taking our nature ; we, by 
imitating His holiness ; ' God hath predestinated us 
to be conformed to the image of His Son/ saith the 
apostle. J. T. 

CHRIST OUR PHYSICIAN AND PURIFIER. 

Psalms 147. 3. Titus 2. 14. 2 Cor. 5. 16. 

Saviour from sin, I wait to prove 
That Jesus is thy healing name; 
To lose when perfected in love, 
Whate'er I have, or can, or am ; 
I stay me on thy faithful word, 
' The servant shall be as his Lord/ 

Answer that gracious end in me, 

For which thy precious life was given; 

Redeem from all iniquity; 

Restore, and make me meet for heaven, 

Unless thou purge my every stain, 

Thy suffering and my faith are vain. 



PURIFICATION WEEK, 



727 



Didst thou not in the flesh appear, 
Sin to condemn, and man to save ? 
That perfect love might cast out fear ? 
That I thy mind in me might have ? 
In holiness show forth thy praise, 
And serve thee all my spotless days ? 

Didst thou not die that I might live 
No longer to myself but thee ? 
Might, body, soul, and spirit, give 
To Him who gave Himself to me ? 
Come then, my Master, and my God, 
Take the dear purchase of Thy blood. 

Thy own peculiar servant claim, 
For thy own truth and mercy's sake; 
Hallow in me thy glorious name ; 
Me for thine own this moment take, 
And change and thoroughly purify ; 
Thine only may I live and die. 

C. V/. 

UNCLE ANN ESS: THE RUIN OF BODY AND SOUL, 
It is not among the least of the errors of the pres= 
ent age, that the more you cultivate a people's mind, 
and refine their manners, the higher you raise them 
in the scale of moral beings. It is by no means true 
that intellectualism and civilization are necessarily 



728 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



on the side of virtue, or that they are foes to sin as 
sin. Under this rule vice may be stripped of some 
of its coarseness, or it may be veiled under the garb 
of fashion; but for all its polish and its gay cloth- 
ing, it is vice still, and as hateful to God as ever it 
was while it wore an unblushing front. Nations 
and ages have their idiosyncracics like individuals, 
and with a shifting condition are equally subject 
with them to a change of moral aspect. In early 
youth, many kinds of offences may be committed 
with comparatively little dread of publicity, which 
in later years a man would be thoroughly ashamed 
to have known; and yet the man may be no better 
than the boy. Civilized people do not like to see 
loathsome things, nor to talk of them. Now as many 
forms of evil are loathsome, these will be studiously 
kept out of sight; but they will be practised still. 
Decency is no security for virtue; and to no higher 
motive do intellectualism and civilization care to 
aspire. In fact they have temptations and sins of 
their own; which there is but little effort to repress; 
and one of them is impurity. .... 

The habit of resisting naughty thoughts and desires 
is not formed while Baptismal Grace is comparatively 
fresh, and therefore resistance is comparatively easy; 
and thus the concupiscence, which the Bible so une- 
quivocally condemns, becomes a bosom friend and 
master, and then pleads for toleration and indulg- 



PURIFICATION WEEK. 



729 



ence — nay, even for character itself. If it do not 
claim to be virtue, it will at least insist that it is not 
vice. . . 

1 From the early age of seven (wrote a medical 
friend) the utmost care and vigilance are necessary, 
if we would detect the beginning of an evil which, 
if not nipped in the bud, will hurry on its victims, 
either to an untimely grave, or drag them through 
a miserable existence to a still more wretched end. 
The experience of every medical man, and the 
records of every lunatic asylum, would prove this 
to be no mere ideal picture of misery, but an every- 
day reality. The pallid cheek, the dull eye, the 
idle listless habits, the irritable temper, the wasting 
frame, and perchance the death of the once high- 
spirited, intelligent and amiable child, are the more 
fearful evidences of its destructive power. Should 
the unhappy child escape an untimely grave, it is 
but to suffer miseries still more terrible, should he 
continue, as is generally Vne case, to practice this 
sinful habit through youth and manhood. The ex- 
hausted nervous system will become still more irri- 
table, the temper more morose, the aversion to soci- 
ety greater, until the deepest shades of melancholy 
rest on his unhappy soul, goading him on to self- 
destruction, or epilepsy, and insanity, in its most 
hopeless form, terminating his miserable career. 
Were these cases a thousand times less frequent 



730 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTEB EPIPHANY, ETC. 



than they really are, surely the very fact that such 
awful calamity does befal many immortal beings, 
ought to be sufficient to awaken every parent, guar- 
dian, and schoolmaster to exercise the most unceas- 
ing vigilance over the young, that they may check 
and crush the evil before it requires the all but irre- 
sistible force of habit. 

Tkose to whom this painful subject is new, may 
be thankful for the following hints:— 

Whenever a child exhibits the signs before named, 
and becomes dull and listless over his lessons, indif- 
ferent to play, and fond of solitude, that child should 
be closely watched, and warned against the practice 
of secret sin. Strive to gain his confidence; for if 
once he unbosom himself, all may yet be well with 
him. 

Little children often acquire the habit of sleeping 
on their faces, which, if not corrected, lays the foun- 
dation of evil practices. Anxious parents should 
visit their children during* the first hours of sleep; 
and, if need be, watch them, in order to prevent this 
dangerous habit. 

Boys and girls, however young, ought never to 
occupy the same sleeping apartment, nor be un- 
dressed in the presence of each other. 

All parents who would zealously guard children 
from temptation, will never allow them to be long 
either alone or together, without the presence of a su- 



PURIFICATION WEEK. 



731 



perior. Many bad habits are learned during play- 
hours. 

Attention to these and other like points will pre- 
serve many a child from that moral blight, which 
may make him a miserable and useless being for 
life. . , . 

* NO UNCLEAN PERSON HATH ANY INHERITANCE 

in the Kingdom of Christ/ (Ephes. v. 6.) 'For 
this is the will of God, even your sanctihcation, that 
ye should abstain from fornication;' that every one 
of you should know how to possess his vessel in 
sanctification and honour: not in the lust of con- 
cupiscence, even as the Gentiles, which know not 
God. For God hath not called us unto unclean- 
ness, but unto holiness.' (I. Thes. iv. 1-5.) ' Be 
not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor 
adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves 
with mankind, shall inherit the kingdom of God/ 
(I. Cor. vi. 9.) Then comes his remarkable reason 
for self-restraint; because these sins are sins against 
our bodies. Why not ? Because they do not be- 
long to us; they belong to Another; to One Who 
has purchased them, but devoted them to a use, 
which turns these sins into perfect enormities. He 
nas concerted them into ' ' temples / temples, because 
the residence, of God Himself. 4 What !' he says, 
*know T you not that your body is the temple of the 
Holy Ghost Which is in you, Which ye have of 



732 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



God; and ye are not your own ? For ye are bought 
with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body 
and in your spirit, which are God's.' (T. Cor. vi. 
19, 20.) So that when you commit uncleanness you 
are guilty of sacrilege. It is as if you were to per- 
petuate an act of drunkenness in the chancel, nay, 
at the very altar of the Church. 

Rev. R. C. Singleton, A.M., 
Warden S. Peter s College, R ad ley. 

The first of those virtues which concern our 
bodies is Chastity, or Purity, which may well be set 
in the front of the duties we owe to our bodies; 
since the Apostle sets the contrary, as the special 
sin against them: • He that committeth fornication 
sinneth against his own body.' (1 Cor. vi. 18,) 

Now this virtue of chastity consists in a perfect 
abstaining from all kinds of uncleanness, not only 
that of adultery and fornication, but all other n>ore un- 
natural sorts of it committed either upon ourselves, or 
with any other. In a word, all acts of that kind are 
utterly against chastity, save only in lawful marriage. 
And even there men are not to think themselves let 
loose to please their brutish appetites, but are to 
keep themselves within such rules of moderation as* 
agree to the ends of marriage, which being these 
two, the begetting of children, and the avoiding of 
fornication, nothing must be done which may hinder 



PURIFICATION WEEK. 



733 



the first, of these ends; and the second aiming only 
at the subduing of lust, the keeping men from any 
sinful effects of it, it is very contrary to that end to 
make marriage an occasion of heightening and in- 
flaming it. 

But this virtue of chastity reacheth not only to the 
restraining of the grosser act, but to all lower 
degrees; it sets a guard upon our eyes, according 
to that of our Saviour, ' He that looketh on a 
woman to lust after her, hath committed adul- 
tery with her already in his heart;' and upon our 
hands, as appears by what Christ adds in that place, 
'If thy hand offend thee, cut it off.' (Matt. v. 28. 
30.) So also upon our tongues, that they speak no 
immodest or filthy word: 'Let no corrupt communi- 
cation proceed out of your mouth.' (Eph. iv. 29.) 
Nay, upon our very thoughts, and fancies; we must 
not entertain any foul or filthy desires, not so much 
as the imagination of any such thing. Therefore he 
that forbears the grosser act, and yet allows himself 
in any of these, it is to be suspected that it is rather 
some outward restraint that keeps him from it, than 
the conscience of the sin; for if it were that, it would 
keep him from these too, these being sins also, and 
very great ones, in God's sight. Besides, he that 
lets himself loose to these, puts himself in very 
great danger of the other, it being much more easy 
to abstain from all, than to secure against the one, 



734 



SIXTH SUNDAY APTER EPIPHANY, ETC 



when the other is allowed. But above all, it is to be 
considered, that even these lower degrees are such 
as make men very odious in God's eyes, who seeth 
the heart, and loves none that are not pure there. 

The loveliness of this virtue of chastity needs no 
other way of describing, than by considering the 
loathsomeness and mischiefs of the contrary sin; 
which is, first, very brutish; those desires are but the 
same that the beasts have; and then how far are 
they sunk below the nature of man, that can boast 
of their sins of that kind, as of their especial excel- 
lency; when if that be the measure, a goat is the 
most excellent creature. But, indeed, they that 
eagerly pursue this part of bestiality do often leave 
themselves little besides their human shape to differ- 
ence them from beasts; this sin so clouds the under- 
standing, and defaces the reasonable soul. There- 
fore Solomon very well describes the young man 
that was going to the harlot's house, 'He goeth after 
her as an ox goeth to the slaughter.' (Prov. vii. 22.) 

Nor, secondly, are the effects of it better to the 
body, than to mind ? The many foul and filthy, 
besides painful diseases, which often follow this sin, 
are sufficient witnesses how mischievous it is to the 
body. And alas! how many are there that have 
thus made themselves the devil's martyrs! suffered 
such torments in the pursuit of this sin, as would 
exceed the invention of the greatest tyrant! Surely 



PUEU1CATI0N WEEK. 



735 



they that pay thus dear for damnation, very well 
deserve to enjoy the purchase. 

But thirdly, besides the natural fruits of this sin, 
it is attended with very great and heavy judgments 
from God; the most extraordinary and miraculous 
judgment that ever befell any place, fire and brim- 
stone from heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah, was 
for this sin of uncleanness; and many examples like- 
wise of God's vengeance may be observed on par- 
ticular persons for this sin. The incest of Amnon 
lost him his life, as you may read, II. Sam. xiii. 
Zimri and Cczbi were slain in the very act, Numb, 
xxv. 8. And no person that commits the like hath 
any assurance it shall not be his own case. For how 
secretly so ever it be committed, it cannot be hid 
from God, who is the sure avenger of all such wicked- 
ness. Nay, God hath very particularly threatened 
this sin, ' If any man defile the temple of God, him 
shall God destroy.' (I. Cor. iii. 17.) This sin of 
uncleanness is a kind of sacrilege, or polluting those 
bodies which God hath chosen for His temples, and 
therefore no wonder if it be thus heavily punished. 

Lastly, this sin shuts us out from the kingdom of 
heaven, wherein no impure thing can enter. And we 
never find any list of those things which bar men 
thence but this uncleanness hath a special place in 
it. Thus it is, (Gal. v. 19.) and so again, (I. Cor. 
vi. 9.) If we will thus pollute ourselves, we are fit com- 



736 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



pany only for those black spirits, the devil and his 
angels ; and therefore with them we must expect our 
portion, where our flames of lust shall end in flames 
of fire. 

All this laid together may surely recommend the 
virtue of chastity to us; for the preserving of which 
we must be very careful, first, to check the begin- 
nings of the temptation, to cast away the very first 
fancy of lust with indignation; for if you once fall 
to parley and talk with it, it gains still more upon 
you, and then it will be harder to resist : therefore 
your way in the temptation is to fly, rather than to 
fight with it. This is very necessary, not only that 
we may avoid the danger of proceeding to act the sin, 
but also in respect of the present fault of entertain- 
ing such fancies, which of itself, though it should 
never proceed further, is, as hath been showed, a 
great abomination before God. 

Secondly, have a special care to fly idleness, which 
is the proper soil for these filthy weeds to grow in, 
and keep thyself always busied in some innocent or 
virtuous employment; for then these fancies will be 
less apt to offer themselves. 

Thirdly, never suffer thyself to recall any unclenn 
passages of thy former life with delight; for that is 
to act over the sin again, and will be so reckoned by 
God; nay, perhaps thus deliberately to think of it, 
may be a greater guilt than a rash acting of it ; for 



PURIFICATION WEEK. 



737 



this both shows thy heart to be set upon filthiness, 
and is also a preparation to more acts of it. 

Fourthly, forbear the company of such light and 
wanton persons, as, either by the filthiness of their 
discourse, or any other means, may be a snare to 
thee. 

Fifthly, pray earnestly that God would give thee 
the spirit of purity, especially at the time of any 
present temptation. Bring the unclean devil to 
Christ to be cast out, as did the man in the Gospel; 
and if it will not be cast out with prayer alone, add 
fasting to it; but be sure thou do not keep up the 
flame by any high or immoderate feeling. The last 
remedy, when the former prove vain, is marriage, 
which becomes a duty to him that cannot live inno- 
cently without it. But even here there must be care 
taken, lest this, which should be for his good, be- 
come to him an occasion of falling, for want of 
sobriety in the use of marriage. . . 

The second virtue that concerns our bodies is 
Temperance: and the exercises of that are divers; 
as first, temperance in eating; secondly, in drinking; 
thirdly, in sleep; fourthly, in recreation; fifthly, in 
apparel. I shall speak of them severally; and first, 
of temperance in eating. This temperance is ob- 
served where our eating is agreeable to those ends, 
to which eating is by God and nature designed. 
Those are, first, the being ; secondly, the well-being 
of our bodies. 



738 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Man is of such a frame that eating becomes neces- 
sary to him for the preserving his life; hanger being 
a natural disease, which will prove deadly, if not pre- 
vented, and the only physic for it is eating ; which 
is therefore become a necessary means of keeping us 
alive. And that is the first end of eating; and as 
men use not to take physic for pleasure, but remedy, 
so neither should they eat. 

But, secondly, God hath been so bountiful as to 
provide not only for the being, but the well-being of 
our bodies; and therefore we are not tied to such 
strictness, that we may eat no more than will just 
keep us from starving, but we may also eat whatso- 
ever, either for kind or quantity, most tends to the 
health and welfare of them. Now that eating 
which is agreeable to these ends, is within the 
bounds of temperance; as, on the contrary, whatso- 
ever is contrary to them, is a transgression against 
it; he therefore that sets up to himself other ends of 
eating, as either the pleasing of his taste, or (what is 
yet worse) the pampering of his body, that he may 
the better serve his lust, he directly thwarts and 
crosses those ends of God; for he that hath these 
aims doth that which is very contrary to health, yea, 
to life itself, as appears by the many diseases, and 
untimely deaths, which surfeiting and unclean ness 
daily bring on men. 

He therefore that will practise this virtue of tern- 



PURIFICATION WEEK. 



739 



perance, must neither eat so much, nor of any such 
sorts of meat (provided he can have other) as may 
be hurtful to his health. What the sorts or quanti- 
ties shall be, is impossible to set down, for that differs 
according to the several constitutions of men; some 
men may with temperance eat a great deal, because 
their stomachs require it, when another may be 
guilty of intemperance in eating but half so much 
because it is more than is useful to him. And so 
also for the sorts of meat; it may be niceness and 
luxury for some to be curious in them, when yet some 
degree of it may be necessary to the infirmities of a 
weak stomach, which not out of wantonness, but 
disease, cannot eat the coarser meats. But I think 
it may in general be said, that to healthful bodies 
the plainest meats are generally the most wholesome. 
But every man must in this be left to judge for him- 
self; and that he may do it aright, he must be care- 
ful that he never suffer himself to be enslaved to 
his palate, for that will be sure to satisfy itself, what- 
ever becomes of health or life. 

To secure him the better, let him consider, first, 
how unreasonable a thing it is, that the whole body 
should be subject to this one sense of tasting, that it 
must run all hazards only to please that. But it is 
yet much more so, that the diviner part, the soul, 
should also be thus enslaved; and yet thus it is in 
an intemperate person; his very soul must be sacri- 



740 SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY. ETC. 

ficed to this brutish appetite; for the sin of intem- 
perance, though it be acted by the body, yet the 
soul must share in the external punishment of it. 
Secondly, consider how extremely short and vanish- 
ing this pleasure is, it is gone in a moment; but the 
pains that attend the excess of it are much more 
durable; and then surely it agrees not with that 
common reason, wherewith, as men, we are endued, 
to set our hearts upon it. But then, in the third 
place, it agrees yet worse with the temper of a Chris- 
tian, who should have his heart so purified and re- 
fined with the expectation of those higher and spirit- 
ual joys he looks for in another world, that he should 
very much despise these gross and brutish pleasures, 
which beasts are as capable of as we; and to them 
we may well be contented to leave them, it being the 
highest their natures can reach to. But for us who 
have so much more excellent hopes, it is an intoler- 
able shame that we should account them as any part 
of our happiness. Lastly, the sin of gluttony is so 
great and dangerous, that Christ thought fit to give 
an especial warning against it: 6 Take heed to 
yourselves, that your hearts be not overcharged with 
surfeiting/ etc. (Luke xxi. 34.) And you know 
what was the end of the rich glutton. He that had 
i fared deliriously everyday' at last wants ' a drop of 
water to cool his tongue.' (Luke xvi. 19.) So much 
for the first sort of temperance, that of eating. . . . 

W. D. M. 



PURIFICATION WEEK* 



741 



Perfect through suffering' — Heb. ii, 10. 

* Perfect ; through sufferings :' may it be. 
Saviour, made perfect; thus, for me ! 
I bow, I kiss, I bless the rod, 
That brings me nearer to my God. 

' Perfect through sufferings ;' be thy Cross 
The crucible, to purge my dross ! 
Welcome, for that, its pangs, its scorns, 
Its scourge, its nails, its crown of thorns. 

' Perfect through sufferings ;' heap the fire, 
And pile the sacrificial pyre ; 
But spare each loved and loving one, 
And let me feel the flames alone. 

1 Perfect through suffering ;' urge the blast, 
More free, more full, more fierce, more fast; 
It reecks not where the dust be trod, 
So the flame waft my soul to God. 

G. W. D. 

There was once a poor fellow who was terribly be- 
set with melancholy, and a temptation to destroy 
himself. He thought he heard a voice night and 
day saying to him, ' Get a rope and hang yourself.' 
He was aware that this was a temptation and he was 
in sore fear lest it should overmaster him ; so he 
went to a priest and asked his advice. The man of 



742 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC, 



God exhorted him to earnest prayer, and fasting ; 
but he got no good at all from these religious exer- 
cises, as far as he could see. Still he heard the hor- 
rible voice muttering in his ear, ' Get a rope, get a 
rope and hang yourself.' In deeper depression than 
ever, he walked in his garden Now, he had an old 
gardener, who had been in the family all his life ■ 
and seeing his master very low-spirited, he ventured 
to ask him what was the matter. ' Jonathan, I don't 
mind telling you,' said the master; 'I am tormented 
night and day with a voice in my ear saying, ' Get a 
rope and hang yourself. And I can find no cure.' 
1 Well, Master,' answered the old man, 4 I can give 
you one that is infallible. Whenever you hear the 
voice say - ' Get a rope and hang yourself !"' answer 
stoutly - No I wont.' " 

Now for the application. I say to you, whenever 
you meet with a temptation, whenever World, or 
Flesh, or Devil breathes into your ear advice to do 
that which is wrong, answer bluntly, 1 No, I wont/ 
and if I am not greatly mistaken, the force of temp- 
tation will at once be broken. If ever you are al- 
lured to evil, then say, 1 Xo, I wont,' and the allure- 
ment loses its power. A good stubborn will is a rock 
which you may build your house upon, but the fee- 
ble, uncertain, shifting purpose is the sand on which 
if you attempt to construct the edifice of a Christian 
life, the walls will speedily show cracks, and with the 
first violent storm down it will go. S. B. G. 



PURIFICATION WEEK. 



743 



k As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the 
sons of God.'— Rom. viii. 14. 

Up and be doing, — i sons of God' — arise ! 
Proclaim your glorious birthright by your deeds, 
Let the world learn from children of the skies 
How faith can triumph, when the Saviour leads. 
Remember Olivet, — its tears of blood. 
The judgment-hall— its buffetings and scorn, 
And the mild meekness of thine injured God. 
His robe of insult, and His crown of thorn. 
Remember Calvary, its dying groan, 
Its dying prayers and sacrifice for man, 
Its suffering His, — its sins, its cause, thine own, 
Then turn to sloth and slumber if you can; 
Sleep — and forget the hope, the heaven that lies 
Beyond earth's conflicts, — ' sons of God ' arise ! 

J. S. B. M. 

A clergyman once said to a profane coachman, ' I 
cannot imagine what you will do in Heaven. There 
will be no horses, or coaches, or saddles, or bridles,, 
or public-houses in Heaven. There will be no one 
to swear at, or at whom you can use bad language, I 
cannot think what you will do when you get to Heav- 
en ! ? Some years after, the clergyman detained at 
an inn, was told that a dying man wanted to see him. 
'Sir,' said the man, i Do you remember speaking to 



744 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTEE EPIPHANY, ETC. 



the coachman who swore so much as he drove you 
over Newmarket Heath? ' Yes.' 'I am that coach- 
man/ said he, 1 and I could not die happy without 
telling you how I have remembered those words, 1 I 
cannot think what you will do in Heaven.' ' And he 
went on to tell how those words would ring in his 
ears often and often as he drove his horses over the 
heath, and at last the thought of Heaven and the 
hope of it had made him a changed man. 

May the high honour that is ours as baptized 
Christians, that we are called the children of God, and 
the blessed hope that is set before us, of seeing our 
glorified Saviour and being like Him, lead us to live 
as befits God's children, and to purify ourselves from 
every sinful way ! If it were possible that with sinful 
habits and the love of evil things in our hearts, we 
could reach Heaven, I cannot think what we should 
do here. But there nothing that dehleth can enter ; 
only those who are purified from every stain of sin 
by the precious blood of Christ, and who by the 
power of the Holy Spirit have hearts cleansed 
from the love of sin, can hope to enter there. 

i Blessed are they who long for home, for they 
shall reach home,' a man of God was accustomed to 
say. And true it is that if our hearts are set on 
Heaven and all that is holy, and pure, and Heavenly, 
we shall walk in the way that our hope points out ; 
and following Jesus with simple faith and love, we 



PURIFICATION WEEK. 



745 



shall not be disappointed of our hope when He shall 
appear, and we shall see Him as He is. 

P. P. F. W. 

(We ought) to be very cautious lest we be deluded 
and snared by pretended Prophets, ' For (says Dr. 
Blackwell) supposing any one of the Prophets is 
really inspired, yet while he gives no proof of his 
Inspiration, so far is our refusing to receive him as 
an inspired Prophet from being a fault, that is no 
more than we are bound in duty to do; we should 
be to blame if we received him ; we do well and 
wisely in rejecting him. For it would be just the 
same rashness and indiscretion in us (though 
perhaps it might not be attended with the like hurt- 
ful consequences) to receive as an inspired Prophet 
a man that is really inspired, while as yet there is no 
evidence appearing of his being so inspired, as it 
would be to give credit to an imposture. And be- 
sides it may also probably be a mistake of much 
worse consequence, to receive as an inspired prophet 
a man that is not inspired, than it would be not to 
receive as such, a man that is really inspired; we run 
a hazard of being deceived by him to our eternal 
ruin; whereas, if for want of sufficient evidence of 
Inspiration we should not give credit to a man that 
is really inspired, the only hazard we seem to run is, 
of not knowing some truths which might be, upon 



746 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



some accounts, useful to be known, but without the 
knowledge of which we may do very well, because 
the Holy Scripture alone, we are assured is able to 
make us wise unto salvation . . . 

(Among others the following is) an historical ac- 
count of several false Christs, false prophets, pre- 
tenders to miracles, and other notorious impostors. 
Cerinthus, Montanus, Arrius, Mahomet, Walter Lol- 
hard, Thomas Muntzer, John Buckhold, Hermanus 
Sutor, David George, Sabatai Sevi, &c. 

King Henry the Vlth going on a progress about 
1447 t0 S. Albans, was then made acquainted w T ith 
a great miracle; that a Beggar who said he was 
born blind, had received his sight very lately at the 
shrine of S. Alban. The Duke of Gloucester being 
in company with the king, desired he might be sent 
for. The beggar was immediately brought before 
them, and the Duke asked him, if he was born blind ? 
He replied, Yes, truly. And can you now see ? 
saith the Duke, what colour is my gown ? The beg- 
gar readily told him the colour. And what colour, 
saith the Duke, is such a man's gown ? The beg- 
gar likewise told him presently, and so of divers 
others. Then, saith the Duke, Go you counterfeit 
Knave; if you had been born blind, and could never 
see till now, how came you so suddenly to know this 
difference of colours ? And thereupon, instead of 
giving him an alms, ordered him to be put into the 
Stocks. Author 1708. 



PURIFICATION "WEEK. 



747 



We have now come to the end of the first great 
division of the Christian Year, the doctrines depend- 
ent upon Christmas, the consequences and effects of 
Christ's becoming man for us; and these the Church 
sums up to-day in the words of the Apostle, ' Behold 
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed 
upon us, that we should be called the sons of God/ 
Look back, trace over again the doctrines that you 
have already had explained to you, understand that 
your God became Son of man in order that you 
should become sons of God; think what this privil- 
ege is; compare your inheritance with anything that 
you can imagine in this world ; say whether there is 
anything that you would exchange it for; wonder at 
it, rejoice in it; — but — here comes in the doctrine of 
the Epiphany — for the present your life is Hid with 
Christ in God; 'it doth not yet appear what we 
shall be;' all we know is this, that ' we are in Him and 
He in us;' we have not seen the Transfiguration, we 
cannot picture to ourselves what a glorified body, a 
heavenly human nature, can be; but we believe 
that there will be an Epiphany of this, that He, our 
Master, Son of man though He be, ' cometh in the 
clouds, with power and great glory,' and that 'when 
He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall 
see Him as He is.' 

Whoever abideth in Him sinneth not ; think of 
the word 4 abideth,' and compare it with what you 



748 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



have learnt from your Catechism. . . abiding 
implies perseverance — ' abideth in Him.' 'I heartily 
thank our Heavenly Father that He hath called 
me to this state of salvation, and I pray unto 
God that I may continue in the same unto life's 
end.' It is not the having been made members of 
Christ that insures our salvation, it is the abiding 
in that state of life in which it has pleased God to 
place us. There is a grace in Baptism over and 
above the remission of sin, it is the power of abiding; 
and when our Manifestation comes, and we are dis- 
covered not to have abided, we are .manifested as 
having done despite to that particular grace of the 
Holy Ghost. 1 Whosoever sinneth,' says St. John, 
'hath not seen Him, neither known Him.' Christ 
has been manifested, but not to him; Christ was 
a visible Example, but not to him; Light came 
into the world, and was manifested to the world, 
but not to him; he has closed his own eyes to it, 
because he loved darkness rather than light. 

Works are the Epiphany of Faith — if a man yields 
his members instruments of unrighteousness unto 
sin, he is not abiding in Christ; he was in Christ, 
he might have been Christ's soldier and His servant 
once, but he is the servant of him whom he is 
actually obeying; he has no knowledge of Christ, 
because he has never studied His character by way 
of making it his example; he does not see Him, 
because he has closed his eyes against Him. 



PURIFICATION WEEK, 



749 



Little children, let no man deceive you; there is 
but one manifestation of your faith on earth, and 
this is it ; 4 he that doeth righteousness, is righteous, 
even as He is righteous.' And be not astonished at 
this, and say, * There is none righteous, no not one/ 
The words that I have quoted are also Scripture, and 
Scripture does not contradict itself. In a legal 
sense, no man is righteous, all have sinned, and come 
short of the glory of God; but this is not the evan- 
gelical sense, no, nor the real meaning of the word, 
Righteousness is really right- wise- ness, and once 
was spelled so. (Trench) it is right wisdom, the 
wisdom of seeking Christ, and following Him, and 
trusting in Him, and putting Him on, and purifying 
ourselves, even as He is pure. This is why Christ 
is called our righteousness, He is our right- wise-ness ; 
and it is the duty of every Christian, to try con- 
stantly, by the constant application of this, the 
Apostle's own rule, whether he is still in this right- 
wise course. 'Christian!' says Burkitt, 'inquire 
not so much what thy desires are, what thy joys and 
comforts are, as what thy actions are ; not what thy 
peace is, but what thy paths are; for God doth not 
measure men's sincerity by the tide of their affec- 
tions, but by the constant bent of their resolutions 
and the general course and tenor of their conversa- 
tion.' 'He that doth righteousness is righteous.' 

H. N. 



750 



SIXTH SUNDAY A.FTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



THE PURIFYING WORK OF CHRIST. 

We are scarcely conscious of the wonderful power 
the Gospel has exerted in Christian lands. 

Living in the midst of civilization, seeing lives 
held precious around us, integrity, truth, modesty 
universally respected, we do not think sufficiently of 
the marvellous transformation which has been 
wrought in Europe by the manifestation of the Son 
of God. We do not consider sufficiently how truly 
He has delivered us from the terrible bondage of 
Satan, how many of the works of the devil He has 
destroyed. Read a passage from a book of travels 
lately published, and you will see the sort of thing 
that goes on still in other realms where the light of 
the Son of God has not yet shone, and where Satan 
still reigns on his cruel throne. 

It is an account of an event which happened in 
the year 1870, in Central Africa, on the death of a 
petty king. 

' The son ascends the throne, and the funeral of 
his father is his first duty. An immense pit or trench 
is dug, capable of containing several hundred peo- 
ple. This pit is neatly lined with new bark-cloths. 
Several wives of the late King are seated together at 
the bottom, to bear upon their knees the body of 
their departed lord. The night previous to the fu- 
neral, the king's body-guard surround many dwell- 
ings and villages and sdze the people indiscrimin- 



PT7EIFICATION WEEK. 



751 



ately as they issue from their doors in the early 
morning. These captives are brought to the pit's 
mouth. Their legs and arms are now broken with 
clubs, and they are pushed into the pit on the top of 
the king's body and his wives. An immense din of 
drums, horns, flageolets, whistles, mingled with the 
yells of a frantic crowd, drown the shrieks of the suf- 
ferers, upon whom the earth is shovelled and 
stamped down by thousands of cruel fanatics, who 
dance and jump upon the loose mould, so as to 
force it into a compact mass ; through which the 
victims of this horrible sacrifice cannot grope their 
way, the precaution having been taken to break the 
bones of their arms and legs. At length the man- 
gled mass is buried and trodden down beneath a 
mound of earth and all is still. The funeral is over.' 
(Ismailia, by Sir S. W. Baker, Vol. ii., p. 20, 1-2) 

In 1346, more than four hundred years ago an 
Arab traveller described the same ceremony as oc- 
curring in the same country in his days. During 
four hundred years as we know, then, have these 
horrors been perpetrated. And during how many 
hundreds and thousands of years has this gone on 
perhaps ? How many thousands and tens of thous- 
ands of writhing men and women with broken legs 
and arms have lain struggling under the earth, as it 
has been heaped on them, burying them alive I . . 

You know, doubtless, that recently the Figee Is- 



752 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTEB EPIPHANY, ETC. 



lands have been annexed to the British Empire. A 
Missionary there not fifty years ago, thus writes of 
the natives. ' To be an acknowledged murderer is 
the object of a Figian's restless ambition. To this 
they are trained from infancy. The mothers culti- 
vate the passion of cruelty in their children, as we 
labour to draw out in ours the feeling of pity. One 
of the first lessons taught the infant is to strike its 
mother.' 

Now the red cross of S. George waves over those 
islands. Long have missionaries laboured there. The 
Light of Christ has shone into that darkness, and 
the horrors which stained the soil of Figee red with 
human blood, are no more. There the Sox of God 
has began to destroy the works of the devil. 

Last summer I went to Treves, in Germany, on 
the river Moselle. It was a grand old town in 
the days of the Romans, and there Constan- 
tine, the first Christian Emperor, had a palace. He 
was not a Christian when he was there. The Roman 
Empire was the most civilized then in the world, its 
civilization fell little short of 'ours now; but one ele- 
ment was wanting which distinguised Roman civili- 
zation from Christian civilization. The Son of God 
had not been fully manifested then to the old 
Romans, and the works of the devil were not de- 
stroyed 

At Treves there is a great ampitheatre, a large 



PURIFICATION WEEK, 



753 



oval flat piece of ground scooped out between two 
hills; round this were built, or cut in the rock, 
ranges above ranges of seats; so that 20,000 persons 
could be accommodated, sitting round the open oval 
space, with their eyes on it, seeing all that went on 
therein. This open space measures 235 ft. by 155 ; 
and has deep drains cut in the rock all round it, I 
will tell you their purpose presently. 

In the old heathen Roman days, one of the great- 
est of pleasures to the people was to see what they 
called i games in the ampitheatre. They crowded 
thither on holidays, high born ladies and gentlemen 
and tradespeople and workmen with their wives and 
children to see the sport. 

When the place was full, then some armed men 
were placed in the open space^ and they were set on 
to hack and kill one another. Sometimes naked un= 
armed men were exposed there to wild beasts, 

Constantine, the Roman Emperor, who afterwards 
became a Christian, fought twice against the brave 
free Germans, and conquered them; and he brought 
the prisoners — thousands of them— and without giv- 
ing them arms, stood them in this open space, and 
turned wild beasts, lions, and tigers, and bears in up- 
on them. So great were the crowds of men thus ex- 
posed to be torn and eaten by the beasts, that the 
wild animals got tired, and desisted, glutted, from 
their terrible work. Then the people shouted that 



754 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



swords should be put into the hands of those who 
survived, and that they should be ma*de to fight and 
kill one another. But the brave Germans refused to 
fight their own countrymen and relatives, to amuse 
these polished ladies and gentlemen, and workmen's 
families; rather than that they placed the hilts of 
the swords on the ground, and fell on them them- 
selves. Those deep cut drains now served the ends 
for which they were made, they ran with streams of 
blood, and poured the red current into the waters of 
a mountain brook that flows hard by. 

I picked some little crimson wild roses growing on 
the spot where those brave men died ; and I thought 
how wonderfully Christ has changed the hearts of 
men since His coming, how truly His manifestation 
has been one of destruction of the works of the 
devil. S. B. G. 

Readings. — Gen. ix. 1-18. Prov. ix. xi. xv. Isa. 
Ivi. lxv. Jer. iii. 22 to iv. 3. S. Matt. vi. xiii. 31- 
35. xv. 21-28. xxiv. 23-32. S. Mark vi. 1-7. S. 
Luke xiv. 26 and follow, vs. xviii. 10-14. S. John 
iii. 1-18. vii. 37-52. I. Cor. iv. 10-18. II. Cor. 
viii. 9-25. Gal. iii. I. Thes. 1. 2-10. II. Tim. iii. 
10-15. Tit. iv. Heb. 1. I. S. Pet. iii. 7-16. 

I. John iii. 1-9. 

The Homilies on the State of Matrimony; against 
Whoredom and Adultery; and against Gluttony and 



PUKIFICATIOX WEEK. 



755 



Drunkenness, etc., etc., the Marriage Service in the 
Prayer Book of the Church of England. 

Articles ix. xv. xxvi. xxix. xxxii. The Catechism 
from the beginning to the Commandments. 

That the understanding of good works is rightly 
given to those who are pure and humble. Gen. xviii. 
i. xxxv. 7. xivii. 16. Ex. xix. 21. Deut. xxxiii. 3. 
Judges vi. 11. Job xxii. 23. Ps. xlv. 11. Ixv. 14. 
Prov. ii. 3. iii. 32. xvi. 22. Eccles. ii. 3. 1. Isa. 
vi. 1. viii. 16. xi. 8. L 4. Iv. 3. Dan. i. 16, 17. 
Ecclus. i. 26. ir. S. Matt. iii. 16. xi. 25. S. 
Luke x. 2, 39. II. Cor. iii. 15. Rev. i. 12. 

S. A. N. 

CLEAN OUT THE COBWEBS. 

Let us always be on our guard against prejudice. 

Some have a way (of which they themselves are 
unconscious) of turning the cold shoulder, to some 
one member of their family. 

For what reason ? they cannot say, simply because 
the cause is never very clearly denned, and in this 
lies all the mischief. 

Perhaps an air of indifference, they may have 
fancied, and which arose merely from fatigue, or 
trouble that could not be confided to them. 

A word misinterpreted, because heard at a time 
when they felt discontented, and their morbid imag- 
ination made everything appear in a false light. 



756 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY, ETC. 



Some scandal, to which they ought never to have 
listened, or at least, should have endeavoured to 
fathom, going direct to the person concerned and 
seeking an explanation. 

And, behold the result: they in their turn become 
cold, reserved and suspicious, misinterpreting the 
slightest gesture ... In a few days arises a 
coldness, from the feeling they are no longer be- 
loved; then follow contempt and mistrust; finally, a 
hatred, that gnaws, and rends the very heart. 

It all springs up imperceptibly, till at last the 
family life is one of bitterness and misery. 

They console, or better still, excuse themselves, 
with the thought of their suffering, never consider- 
ing how much pain they give to others, nor where 
the fault lies. 

E. L. E. B. 

Blessed are the pure in heart : for they shall see 
God. S. Matt. v. 8. 

Oh, ' Blessed are the pure in heart, 

For they shall see their God \ 
Lord fit us for this glorious sight, 

E'en by Thy chastening rod. 

Oh make us pure in inmost soul, 

In word, desire and thought; 
Be our whole nature to Thy Will 

Into subjection brought. 



PURIFICATION WEEK. 



Teach us to live while here below 

As ever in thy sight; 
Illumine our sin-darken'd souls, 

With Heaven's sweet glorious light. 

And should we reach the world above 
Through Thy abounding grace, 

O may we know as we are known, 

And see Thee face to face. G. F. W. 

Psalms, xx. cxiii. cxv. xcvii. xcviii. c. cxxxi. 
ist and 5th Selections. 

Anthems. Any Text in the Words for the Week. 

Hymns 34. 45. 46. 68. 126. 146. 162. 204. 205. 
2 *6. 333. 338. 339. 347. 458. 477. 485. 507, 512. 

Collects, ist and 4th in Ad. Christmas. Circ. 
Epiph, ist S. af. Epiph, Ash-W. ist S. in Lent. 
East. -Even. Eas. 2d S. af. Eas. 8th 9th 13th 18th 
19th 20th 2 ist 24th 25th af. Trin. Collects bef. 
and after the Commandments. Holy Innocents' 
Purification. Conv. S. Paul. Annunc. S. James. S. 
Mark. S, Matt. All Saints. 

Whom resist, steadfast in the faith, I. S. Peter 
v. 9. 

Christian ! dost thou see them 

On the holy ground, 
How the powers of darkness 

Rage thy steps around ? 
Christian ! up and smite them, 

Counting gain but loss; 



SIXTH SUNDAY AFTEIl EPIPHANY, ETO. 



In the strength that cometh 
By the holy Cross. 

Christian ! doth thou feel them, 

How they work within ; 
Striving, tempting, luring, 

Goading into sin ? 
Christian ! never tremble; 

Never be down-cast; 
Gird thee for the battle, 

Watch and pray and fast. 

Christian ! dost thou hear them 

How they speak thee fair ? 
' Always fast and vigil ? 

Always watch and prayer ?' 
Christian ! Answer boldly : 

i While I watch I pray !' 
Peace shall follow battle, 

Night shall end in day. 

i Well I know thy trouble, 

0 my servant true ; 
Thou art very weary, 

1 was weary too; 

But that toil shall make thee 
Some day all Mine Own, 

And the end of sorrow 
Shall be near My throne. 



ADDENDA. 



Maker of heaven; eternal Light 

Of all who in Thy name believe; 
Jesu, Redeemer of mankind ! 

An ear to Thy poor suppliants give. 

When man was sunk in sin and death, 

Lost in the depth of Satan's snare, 
Love brought Thee down to cure our ills, 

By taking of those ills a share. 

Thou, for the sake of guilty men, 

Causing Thine own pure blood to flow, 

Didst issue from Thy virgin shrine, 
And to the cress a victim go. 

Great Judge of all ! in that last day, 

When friends shall fail and foes combine- 
Be present then with us, we pray, 
To guard us with Thy arm divine, 

To God the Father, and the Sox, 
All praise and power and glory be; 

With Thee, O holy Comforter! 
Henceforth through all eternity. 

V. B. 



760 



ENTRANCE WEEK 

• What is the use of Advent ?' you may ask. Let me answer 
you in this way. Suppose you were at your daily work, in 
your common dress and common etate of mind, not thinking 
of anything but your work ; suppose suddenly you were to 
be hurried off just as you were to a great and excellent feast in 
some grand house, would you be fit for the feast ? would you 
feel at ease with the guests ? would you like to sit down just 
as you were, with the unwashed hands and common clothes 
of a working day ? would you not wish that you had had 
some notice of the feast, some time to prepare ? However 
great the dainties, however rich the fare, you would not enjoy 
it half so much as if you had been told of it before and had 
got ready. You would be flurried, confused, and too much 
taken by surprise. 

Well then, at Christmas the Church keeps a very great, a very 
rich, a very holy Feast ; it is a very holy and golden time if it 
be rightly used ; the best food of the Church, the manna, the 
strong meat, the juice of the true vine, are then offered in the 
Holy House of God. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself is 
present in the Church to bless and feed the guests who come to 
Him in His earthly guest chamber ; we are pressed to partake 
of that feast which is spread on the anniversary of His birth, 
and which itself sets forth the great truth of His incarnation 
and manhood. Now if suddenly you come to this holy time, 
and say to yourself, 'O to-day is Christmas-day; I have not 
thought of it ; I did not recollect it was so near ; no one re- 
minded me of it ; I had forgotten the time,' would you not be 
unfit for the full spiritual enjoyment of the feast? would you 
not be so taken by surprise as to be unable to enter into its joy, 
or to feed with deep comfort on the blessed and mysterious truth 
which it especially puts before your soul ? In your common 

761 



ENTRANCE WZEK. 



every-day frame of mind, without thought, without preparation, 
you would, I believe, gain little benefit ; it would be a wasted 
day ; you might enjoy yourself in a worldly but not in a Chris- 
tian way, as a man of the world, but not as a member of 
Christ. 

See therefore the use of Advent ; it gives us time to prepare ; 
it is a time set apart by the Church for godly preparation. The 
Church cries out to us through these four weeks, 4 prepare your 
souls for the Christmas feast, prepare your souls.' If Christ- 
mas is to be of use, we must have Advent as a forerunner ; we 
must not rush into Christmas at once ; we must dress our souls, 
just as you would make preparation and get things ready and 
get yourself ready if you were pressed beforehand to some 
earthly feast. The Church as a kind mother, wise as well as 
kind, would have as do all things concerning God and our souls 
calmly and deliberately ; she would lead us on step by step, and 
get our souls into order by degrees. As she gives us our Christ- 
mas, so she gives us a guide to conduct us thither, step by step, 
and to tell us that this blessed Feast is at hand. T. P. U. 

Advent, commencing on the Sunday nearest to S. Andrew's 
Day, and continuing lo Christmas Eve, is a holy season ap- 
pointed by the Chinch, as a preparation for the great Festival 
of Christmas, that we may celebrate the Nativity of our Blessed 
Lord, with thankfulness and holy joy, and devoutly acknow- 
ledge the infinite love, condescension, and mercy of His First 
Coning in the Flesh, to redeem all mankind from eternal death. 
And she further calls upon us, in the special Services for this 
season, to prepare ourselves for His Second Coming in ' glori- 
ous majesty, to judge both the quick and the dead.' The Ad- 
vent season blends in one His characters of Redeemer and 
Judge. 

A Preparation for Ckridts Second Coming to Judgment. 

On the First Sunday our thoughts are directed to His coming 
in Humility, and in Majesty ; on the 2nd, to His secret coming 
now in grace to the chudiike heart, and in His Holy Word, 
wherein He comforts us 'with the blessed hope of everlasting 
life ;' on the 3rd, to His coming in His Ministers, whom He 
sends to prepare His way by 1 turning the hearts of the disobedi- 
ent to the wisdom of the just,' that we may be found accepta- 



ENTRANCE WEEK. 



763 



ble at His Second Coming ; on the 4th, we pray Him of His 
boundless mercy to come speedily to help us, and deliver us 
from our sins, before His future manifest coming to be glorified 
in His Saints, but to judge every man according to his works. 

4 The Church then celebrates/ says a holy man, ' the Advent 
as two-fold, that she may engender in her children fear and 
love ; whence in the Psalm (xix.) The fear of the Lord is clean, 
and endureth forever ', and His love in like way shall endure for- 
ever. But we owe Him fear as a Lord, love as a Father ; 
whence Mai. ii. : If I am a Father where is My love? and if 
the Lord, where is My fear? We have been redeemed, and 
therefore we must joy ; we have to give account, who may not 
stand in awe? Yet that we may not stand in fear then, we 
mu^t look with longing, reverential penitent awe now.' The 
services, especially the Sunday Lessons, partake of this two- 
fold character ; those of the first two Sundays speaking of diso- 
bedience and judgment, and in the third and fourth, drawing 
near Christmas, joy predominates. The Church of old kept it 
as a Fast (less strict than that of Lent, hence it was called the 
Lesser Lent), infused a penitential character into her Services, 
laid aside her splendid vestments, and clothed her altars in pur- 
ple, the emblem of mourning. And in this spirit we ought 
strictly to observe it, making it a time of retirement from the 
pleasures and pastimes of the world, or time of humiliation, 
self-examination, prayer and meditation, with more frequent 
attendance on the services of the Church, and partaking of the 
Holy Communion. 

Meditation on the future judgment will greatly enhance our 
Christmas joy ; for the more we realize the terrors of that Day, 
the more heartily we shall thank Him for His unspeakable love 
and mercy in coming into this world to deliver us from the 
wrath to come. 

It is an Article of the Faith, which we daily profess in our 
Creed, and which is taught in Holy Scripture, that all men shall 
rise again in their bodies at the last day, to be judged according 
to their works. I. Cor. xv. 50-52; Rev. xx. 11-13. And 
that, 

I. 1 He shall come again with glory, to judge both the quick 
and the dead' See S. Jude 14. 15 ; Eccl. xii. 14; Rev. xx. 12, 
13 ; Mai. iii. 17 ; Heb. ix. 27. It is called in Scripture The 
Day of the Lord. Joel i. 15 ; I. Thess. v. 2 ; 2 S. Pet. iii. 10, 
12. 2ndly. It is called a day of Revelation, or opening. Rom. 



764 



ENTRANCE WEEK. 



ii. 5. Never was there such an opening as will be at that day. 
The heavens will be opened, and the King of Glory shall come 
forth, with His Holy Angels, to judge the world. The earth 
will be opened, and the graves give up their dead. The books 
shall be opened. Rev. xx. 12. The secrets of all hearts shall 
be opened. ■ S. Mark iv. 22 ; Rom. ii. 16. Hell shall be opened 
for the wicked. 3rdly. It is called a Day of Refreshing. What 
a refreshing to rise incorruptible, to see Death and the Devil 
destroyed, to behold Jesus, with all His Angels and Saints, to 
hear the blessed sentence of absolution, Well done, good and 
faithj id servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Come, 
ye blessed, &c. S. Matt. xxv. 4thly, In respect of the wicked 
it is called a Day of Wrath. Rom. ii. 5 ; Joel ii. 2. 5 thly. 
It is called a Great Day. S. Jude 6 ; Acts ii. 2c, and it is 
indeed such, for I. Thess. iv. 16 ; S. Matt. xxiv. 31 ; 2 S. Pet. 

iii. 10. 

II. Christ Himself is the Judge. S. John v. 22 ; Acts xvii. 
31 ; Rom. xiv. 10. And He is a Righteous Judge, Who cannot 
be corrupted, and is no accepter of persons. Ps. ix. 8 ; xcviii. 
9 ; 2 Tim. iv. S ; Isa. xi. 3, 4 ; Rom. ii. 6 9. He is Omnis- 
cient, and knows all things, and cannot be deceived. S. John 

iv. 29 ; Heb. iv. 13 ; Ps. 1. 21 ; xc. S ; cxxxix. 1-4. 

III. Having now seen Who, and what manner of Judge you 
shall have, imagine yourself standing before Him, and His 
asking 1. Who art thou ? show Me My image wherein I created 
thee, and which was renewed at thy Baptism. The dmnkard 
will have effaced that Divine Image, and have become a swine; 
the covetous, as a ravenous wolf ; the adulterer, as a goat ; the 
crafty, as a fox. 7'hey have corrupted themselves, and their 
spot is not the spot of His children. Deut. xxxii, 5 ; Ps. xlix. 
20 ; Rev. xxii. 15. 2. Many shall say at that day, Lord, 
Lord, we have been baptized in Thy Name, we have called on 
Thy Name, who notwithstanding are workers of iniquity. Gal. 
iii. 27 ; v. 24 ; S. John xv. 14 ; xii. 26. Art thou a Christian, 
who hast taken the members of Christ, and made them the 
members of a harlot? I. Cor. vi. 15. Art thou a Christian, 
who hast seen Christ naked, and hast not clothed Him ; hun- 
gry, and ha^t not fed Him ? &c. S. Matt, xxv.; S. Luke xii. 
47, 48 ; S. Matt. x. 15; 2 S. Pet. ii. 21; 2 Tim. ii. 9. 3. Art 
thou a Sovereign, a Governor, a Magistrate, or Officer of State ? 
Thou wilt be examined, 1st. If thou hast been a nursing father 
to the Church. Isa. xlix. 23. 2ndly. If thou hast rooted up 



ENTRANCE WEEK. 



765 



heresy and idolatry, I Kings xv. 12 ; and provided clergy to 
teach the people. 2 Chron. xvii. 9 ; and xxxi. 4. 3dly. If thou 
hast built the houses of God, as did Solomon and Josiah. 4thly. 
If thou hast set a good example, provided good laws, and pun- 
ished the wicked, and cherished the good. Ps. ci. 6, S ; 1 S. 
Pet. ii. 14; Ps. Ixxxii. 3, 4 5 thly, Art thou a clergyman? 
thou shalt answer for these things. Mai. ii. 7 ; S. John xxi. 
16 ; Acts xx. 27, 28 ; Ezek. xxxiii. 6 ; S. Matt. xxiv. 45, 46 ; 
Rom. ii. 21, 22 ; 1 Tim. iv. 12 ; 6ihly. Art thou a tradesman ? 
thou shalt be examined. Prov. xx. 10. 

IV. Lastly, now consider the final and irrevocable sentences 
which shall pass on you, either of acquittal or condemnation. 
How will our ears be ravished, and our hearts leap for joy, to 
hear Christ pronounce us the blessed ones of His Father (S. 
Matt. xxv. 34): to hear that sweet invitation, Come ye ; to hear 
the glory of that inheritance to which we are to come, A king* 
dom prepared for us from the foundation of the world. Blessed 
indeed are they who shall hear this joyful sound (S. Luke xxi. 
27, 28 ; 1. Thess. iv 16. 17 ; Acts xar. 11 ; 2 Tim. iv. 8). But 
how awful will be the feelings of those to whom He shall say, 
Depart, ye cursed. If it be thus, what manner of men ought 
we to be in all holy conversation and godliness? Whether we 
eat or drink, or whatsoever Ave do, let us hear the List trumpet 
sounding in our ears, Arise, ye dead, anS come to judgment. 
Whatever companions you have made here, among them you 
will be found hereafter. The godless, the careless, and the 
impenitent, will find no place among the blessed in that awful 
day. How cr,n they be admitted into the angelic choirs, who 
lived in evil, and turned away from imitating them ? What 
fellowship can there be between the glorious company of the 
Apostles, and those who have shown no desire to copy their ex- 
amples, by leaving all to follow Christ, and who have not 
given their assent to. nor practised the doctrines they taught? 
What place can they have among the noble army of Martytrs, 
who have not even mortified their members that are on the earth? 
How can he. who has only the form of godliness, and denies 
Christ by his works, (2 Tim. iii. 6 ; Tit. i. 16), join the illus- 
trious Confessors of Christ, who with the heart believed unto 
tighteousuess, and with the mouth made confession unto salva- 
tion. (Rom. x. 10) and of whom it is said, the world is crucified 
unto them, and they unto the wo> Id ? (Gal. vi. 14) How shall 
the impure ever dare to look on those bright, virgin flowers of 



766 



ENTRANCE "WEEK. 



chastity, glistening with every virtue, and to whom it is given 
to sing the New Song, which none else can learn. (Rev. xiv. 
3) Thou, who, 'after thy hardness and impenitent heart, 
treasures^ up unto thyself wrath, against the day of wrath and 
revelation of the righteous judgment of God,' (Rom. iii. 5,) thou 
canst net be numbered among those holy penitents, who have 
i brought forth fruits meet for repentance' O unhappy man, 
while the day of repentance still lasts, tremble exceedingly, and 
repent, that you be not shut out of the happy mansions of the 
blessed in that day. Repent, for thy whole life has been de- 
filed, and filled with a multitude of iniquities. Blush, there- 
fore, with shame, O lost soul, because thou art alienated from 
the company of saints and angels, and there is no resting-place 
or refuge but in God the Saviour, Whom thou dost despise. 
Tremble, but do not despair. If thou art really penitent, and cry 
heartily to Jesus, take comfort, and hope that our all merciful 
and loving Lord Jesus Christ, will hear thy prayers, see thy 
tears, and be moved to the same pity for thee, as He felt when 
He raised the daughter of the ruler of the synagogue to life, 
and restored the widow's son. 

C. G. 

Now it is high time to awake out of sleep. — Rom. xiii. ii. 

Take up your stand where ye are now, amid the temptations, 
cares, deceits, follies of the day, thence look forward anew 7 to 
the vanities of the world, its schemes and pleasures, its stripes, 
w T ealths and honours, the praise of men, the gaining of all your 
wishes out of God. Hold in your grasp all that your minds 
ever pictured of good out of God. Add pleasure to pleasure, 
gain to gain, self-indulgence to self-indulgence ; stretch out 
your sight, month after month, year after year. Be it that each 
step, instead of weariness and loathing, should but satisfy your 
hearts the more! We will look on with you, if you will look 
on with us step by step through all the years of time ; grant all 
your claim, ii you will look on with us beyond all time to 
eternity. Imagine what you will do, enjoy, or sin, next and 
next; so you still ask on. But what next? And what afterward? 
1 What afterwards ?' belongs to time ; ask on beyond all time, 
What is that 'afterwards' which has no 'afterwards'? Do what 
you will, so that those wurd>, 'What afterwards?' ring in your 
ears, and you with truth will answer them. When you are 
tempted to sin, pause, ask yourself steadfastly, And what after- 



ENTRANCE WEEK, 



767 



wards? Await the answer, (sin has but one 'afterwards,' deep 
penitence or hell), and through God's mercy on your soul, you 
will sin no longer. Those words, ' What afterwards ?' have by 
God's mercy converted souls, to Him, for surely no things of 
time can satisfy a soul made to outlive all lime; nothing created 
can fill the soul made for its Creator. D. G. S. L. 

It cannot yet be said of the Church of Christ that 1 her 
warfare is accomplished.' No; it is lengthened out ; the war 
goes on; the fight lasts; we have closed one year of trial, and 
now another comes ; another draws upon us; whether we shall 
see its end, we know not; but we are at the day break of an- 
other Christian year. In the distance we see another Christmas, 
another Epiphany, another Lent, another Easter, another Whit- 
suntide drawing on; the same circle of Godly Seasons is on the 
move; the same course of Holy Services is about to be begun; we 
shall soon be using the prayers, hearing the Gospels and the Les- 
sons we used and heard last year; we shall soon be in the midst 
of our Christmas joy and Christmas privileges: when the Church 
will speak to us in the same words, and set before us the same 
blessed truths. We are about to tread the same round; it will 
all seem outwardly to be the same year* over again; the 
wheels of the Church do not carry us to new scenes, new truths, 
new doctrines; we keep to 1 the old paths,' and the old ways ; 
we again turn over the leaves of our old Prayer book; and the 
moment we have ended the season of Trinity, we again begin 
with Advent, just as we did last year, just as we did the year be- 
fore, just as we did many years ago; yea, as our fathers did in 
their time of old. 

And yet while we are about to have the same Holy Seasons, 
the same pious services, the same prayers, the same Gospels, the 
same Lessons from Holy Scripture, the same blessed Feasts, the 
same solemn Fasts, are we to be the same ? Are we to be just 
as we were last year, or the year before ? Are we to run over 
those old path- in the same spirit? Are we to be what we were, 
unchanged, older but not different ? 

Nay, let all else be the same ; welcome holy Advent, wel- 
come Christmas, with all thy old prayers and psalms and creeds, 
welcome Epiphany and Easter, welcome all again ! but let us be 
different; let us use these seasons differently; let us walk with 
a holier mind, a better spirit, a truer penitence, a livelier faith 
and hope, a warmer love, a more fixed and steady as well as 



768 



ENTRANCE "WEEK. 



brighter flame of prayer through these same stages of the Chris- 
tian year. While the journey seems the same with the same 
views, the same prospects, let us journey with a more thankful, 
watchful, faithful mind, improved and improving in all fruits of 
the Spirit ; God forbid that we should be the same. Are we 
not nearer death, nearer judgment, nearer Christ's second 
Coming ? Are we to go on learning Christ, without knowing 
Him a whit the more ? Are we to have more time, more grace, 
more privileges, and yet to be at a standstill, as stunted trees 
that will not grow ? 

Higher and higher still should we ascend as our time runs on ; 
no standing still is there for Christ's true soldieis, no dozing 
on our march, no dull drowsy movement of the feet; higher be 
your heart, higher be your motives, higher be your aim; yea, be 
purer, be holier, be humbler, be meeker, be more loving, more 
self-denying, more generous, more unworldly, more fond of 
heavenly things. Let Advent bi the same, and yet different ; 
let Christmas be the same, and yet different; think of Christ's 
second coming, but be more prepared; think of Christ's birth 
as Son of man, but discern and understand more clearly His 
marvellous love witnessed in His marvedous humility; think of 
His death and suffering, but feel with sharper anguish and 
keener shame, the weight, the terrible and crushing burden, of 
those sins which brought Him to the bitter cross; think of His 
resurrection, but with truer faith meditate on His mysterious 
mighty victory over death and hell, and the great day of the uni- 
versal resurection; think of his ascension, but let your hearts 
and minds ascend with a bolder and more loving flight, towards 
the heavenly place into which our Saviour passed; think of the 
coming of the Holy Ghost, but more truly desire His constant 
presence, more earnestly seek for it in more earnest prayer, more 
earnest reception of the blessed Sacrament of Christ's body 
and blood, more earnest use of all means of grace in the Church 
of Christ, more earnest obedience to all motions of the Spirit, 
even to the least and faintest voice, which the more attentive and 
practised ear may be able to catch. 

Many things there are we can begin to do; those things 
which we have already done we can do in abetter way. There 
must be growih or else decay ; there must be the rising 
of the waters or the fall; there must be the increase and 
strengthening of the body, or the decrease and the decline 
thereof; this is God's law; we cannot continue in one stay; wq 



EXTKANCE WEEK. 



769 



cannot remain the same not to advance is to go back; if we are 
now where we were last year, we are worse than we were last 
year; there must be Godly progress, Godly growth, Godly ad- 
vancement; else we go back, we slide and slip away from the 
true standard of the Gospel of Christ, we fade and wither, and 
get father and farther from the life-giving Sun of righteousness. 
Think of this, all ye who settle yourselves, as ye think, in the 
same place, who have no fixed purpose to do other or better 
than you have done, who are not aiming at higher things, who 
keep to your accustomed ways, who think, you will do well 
enough at your present point, and who are not lifting up your 
hearts to a more decided service of Christ your Saviour. 
We cannot travel on a flat line ; we must all be ascending or 
descending, going down or going up, getting better or getting 
worse, nearer heaven or nearer hell. T. C. S. 

To-day we begin again the Church's year. You know that 
the Church and the world do not begin their year at the same 
time. The world begins on the first of January, but the Church 
begins to-day, the Sunday nearest to S. Andrew's day. 

And to-day, like the other Sundays, has its own name. It 
is called the first Sunday in Advent, or Advent Sunday. It is 
the first of four Sundays, which come before Christmas Day. 
The time from to-day until Christmas Day is called Advent, and 
these are the four Sundays in Advent. 

Advent means Coming. The word always means this when- 
ever we use it. But I think you know, do you not, that when 
we use it in Church, or read it in the Prayer- Book, we always 
mean a particular coming, the coming of a particular Person ? 
That Person is our Lord Jesus Christ. So to-day we ought, if 
we are good children of the Church, to think about the coming 
into the world of Iesus Christ. 

It is a long time since Pie came. Eighteen hundred and 
eighty years. We count all our years now from that in which 
Pie came. It is right that we should do so, because His coming 
made such a change in the world; it was like a new beginning. 
So we must think of His coming. 

But beside this, we must remember that Jesus Christ is 
coming again. We nre not only to ]ook back to the time when 
He came, but to look forward to the time when He will come 
again. How glad we shall be to see Him. 

So Advent tells us of both His comings! the first long ago; 



770 



ENTRANCE WEEK. 



the second which we are expecting, and which may be on any 
day. 

And this season of Advent helps us in another way too. It 
helps us to prepare for Christmas. We are all go- 
ing to keep Christmas nay, because it is the day on 
which Jesus Christ was first seen when lie came into the 
world. If we prepare well for Christmas, and keep Christmas 
well when it comes, I think we shall prepare well and be ready 
to meet Jesus Christ when He comes again. And this is what 
we want to help you to do. 

So we are going to-day, and through Advent, in our lessons, 
to think about the coming of Jesus our Lord. Then at Christ- 
mas we will see how He came. After that, if God lets us, we 
will see how Jesus Christ lived, how He died, how He rose 
again, how He went into Heaven, where He is now, and how 
He is coming again. If we think of these things well, we shall 
be able to live as He wishes us to live, we shall be His good 
children, and shall be expecting Him, and prepared to meet 
Him when He comes. 

Now let us go quite back to the beginning of the world, and 
think about tho^e who first expected the coming of Jesus 
Christ. 

You all know, T suppose, ihat when God had made the 
world and got it ready, He made the first man like ourselves, 
and called him Adam; that when Geo saw that Adam was 
lonely. He made him a wife, who was called Eve. 

When they were made, God put them in a beautiful garden, 
and watched them to see if they would be good. They might 
eat what they pleased, and have all they saw around ihem, ex- 
cept one thing. They were not to touch one Tree in the gar- 
den God gave them this one command to see if they would obey 
Him. If they touched it they would die. 

You remember how Satan tempted them and persuaded 
them to do what God forbade. And so they died. Their 
bodies did not die. They still lived on the earth, and could 
walk and talk. But their semis were dead. When God made 
them He breathed into them His own Life. When they did wrong 
they lost this Life, and so their souls were dead; they were dead 
in sin. 

But though they had done so wrong God loved them, and 
did not want them to remain dead. So he promised them that 
He would send a Saviour— One Who should come into the 



ENTRANCE WEEK. 



771 



wond that they might have life again, One Who would save 
them from death. 

That was very wonderful, but God in His love promised 
more even than that. He promised that this Saviour should 
be a child of Eve. His exact words were, ' The Seed of the 
woman shall bruise the serpent's head.' So Eve is a mother of 
Jesus Christ. Of course you know that the Blessed Virgin 
Mary was the mother of Jesus. But so was Eve a great many 
generations back. We call our mother's mother our grand 
mother, and her mother our great grand mother, and so we may 
go back to Eve ourselves; but you see it is mother all the way 
through. So Eve is really the first mother of our Lord Jesus. 
1 think this is the grandest and best wav to think of her, and the 
way in which she would like us to think. 

But Eve did not know all th.it we know. She did not know 
there would be all these generations ; she did not know 
there would be many mothers after her before the Saviour was 
born. So when she had her first child she thought he was 
the promised Saviour, and she said, 'I have gotten a man, the 
Lord.' 

How disappointed she must have been when she saw him 
grow up, and instead of being good become very bad! How 
dreadful for her to have him kill his brother Abel, as we know 
he did ! How sad it was for her as she grew old, for she lived 
many years, and had many children, to see her children quar- 
relling and doing all kinds of bad things! How sad she must 
have been when she thought that all this came from her own 
sin! How tired she must have been looking for and expecting 
the Child Who was to give her and her o'her children life, 
and yet Who seemed as if He would never come. 

We will try and see what Eve teaches u-=. [esus Christ 
is coming again, and we are looking for Him, and we want to 
be ready for Him and we are go ng to keep Advent and 
Christmas, and they may help us to be ready. How shall we do 
this ? First, like Eve we have to work. God has given us all 
something to do. When fa 1 her and mother go out, they often 
leave the children something to do in their absence. One child 
has some sewing to do; another perhaps has the baby to take 
care of; another to make the tire and have the kettle boiling ; 
another to get his lessons ready for to morrow. We would not 
like father and mother to come back and find that Ave had not 
done these things. Susie had left her sewing to read a story 



772 



ENTRANCE WEEK. 



book; Jane had left the baby to see a show; Henry had left his 
lessons to play with Tom. No ; we should like them to find 
the house tidy, floor swept, fire lighted, lesions learned, children 
all good and happy. Then thfy would be glad ! 

Now, remember that when you are doing these things well 
you are not only obeying your parents, and pleasing them, but 
you are doing what J ESUS Christ has given you to do; you are 
pleasing Him, you are really and truly getting ready for His 
coming. Remember that, and all your lessons and work will 
be well done because they are done for Jesus Christ. 

And, secondly, like Eve, we must be looking for Christ. 
We must not think only of this world, and what we shall do 
here, now and when we grow up. But we ought to be looking 
for Christ's coming and wishing for it — wishing for, longing 
for the time when He will come to take away all tioubie and sin 
and death and take us into His own Home, a far brighter and 
better world than this. So in our prayers we ought to say very 
earnestly, 'Thy kingdom come,' and pray that Jesus Christ 
will come soon. 

And then, thirdly, like Eve, we must be quite siwe that He 
will come. God always keeps His word. As He said Jesus 
would come the first time and He came, so are we quite sure that 
He will come again though it seems a long time to wait. So 
when we are tired, and have some trouble or sorrow to bear, 
when we are tired of trying to be good and keeping from being 
bad, we can look up to Heaven and be sure that it will not be 
very long, and that Jesus is certain to come. Don't you think 
that this will make you brave and earnest, and will help you to 
do your best to be good and obedient, and to pray that you 
may be ready when Jesus comes again ? 

E. O. 

THE CHURCH YEAR. 
The Gospel in its essence, is a revelation of persons 
and a statement of facts — the persons revealed 
and the facts stated are embodied in 
the apostles' creed. 
When Christ said : ' Go ye in o all the world and preach 
the Gospel to every creature,' He meant that the Church should 
communicate to and urge upon the acceptance of each living 
soul the Persons as revealed and the Facts as stated in His 
Gospel 



ENTRANCE WEEK. 773 

The Episcopal Church seeks in divers ways to obey this com- 
mand of her dear Lord and Master. Her chief agent is the 
Preacher, and her chief instrument the Preached Word. 
Yet, in addition thereto, and not to mention various human 
auxiliaries which she wisely invokes, we confine ourselves just 
now to The Church Year as our special method by which the 
Episcopal Church is enabled to emphasize the Persons and Facts 
of Christ's Gospel. 

In the Episcopal Church each, one of the fifty- two Sundays in 
the year is Individualized. That is to say : Each Sunday is 
devoted to the presentation of some one distinct and particular 
truth. The lessons which are read — the Collect, the Epistle 
and Gospel — all bear upon that truth, and are made subservient 
to its enforcement. Then, again, the Sundays are arranged in 
such a manner that the teachings of one Sunday are made to 
fall in with and to supplement the teachings of the previous Sun- 
day. Hence, a person who attends without intermi sion upon 
the services of the Episcopal Church, during any given twelve 
months, will, during that period, have presented to his mind in 
the services themselves (even though there be never a sermon 
preached), a certain, regular and systematic revelation of the 
Persons and statement of the Facts essential to the believer's 
salvation. 

On the Sundav nearest to the 30th of November, our Church 
Year begins. That Sunday is called Advent Sunday. Ad- 
vent Sunday, with the three Sundays which follow, constitute 
our Advent Season. Just here the divine panorama begins 
to unfold. During the Advent Season our services remind us 
of the Two Comings of Christ — His coming eighteen centuries 
ago to save ; His coming in the dread hereafter to judge. 
The Advent Season over, Christmas commemorates the birth 
and incarnation of Him, ' who, as on that day, was born of a 
pure virgin,' Chiistmas over, the feast of Circumcision will 
remind us that the Holy Child Jesus submitted to be ' made 
under the law : that those under the law might 'receive the 
adoption of Sons. Circumcision over, we shall come next in 
order to Epiphany, and then,' as we bow with the Magi before 
the Infant King, we shall learn how world-embracing is the 
Gospel of Christ. Epiphany over, our services will lead -us on 
successive Sundays to meditate upon Christ as a youth, as 
prophet, priest and king. Then Lent will draw near. Later, 
and during the week of ' agony and bloody sweat,' our services 



774 



ENTRANCE WEEK. 



will bind us to His side. We shall go with Him to the Hall 
of Judgment ; weep with Him in Geihsemane. Eastfr-Eve 
we shall rest by the grave in the garden On Easter mornmg, 
we shall hasten to the sepulchre and greet Him, whose 'glorious 
resurrection' we shall that day celebrate. At Asc£\siox-tide, 
as the risen Saviour is received up out of our sight, we shall 
seek to raise our hopes and affections to that Heaven whither 
He hath gone be f ore. So, too, on Whit-Sunday, we shall 
greet with grateful songs, the Holy Ghost, the Comforter. 
And, lastly, on the festival of the Ever-b essed Trinity, we 
shall study our Triune-God, as Creator, Saviour, and Sanc- 
tifier. 

Thus will the Episcopal Church, during her Church Year — 
simply by her services — present to us the persons and facts which 
are the objects of saving faith. Naught will be overlooked. 
Upon these persons and facts the heart of faith must centre. 
' He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. He that 
believeth not shall be damned.' — P.ev. A. W. Wedde'l. 

S. B. 

THE COMING OF THE KING. 
Gospel— S. Matt. xxi. 5. 
''Tell ye the daughter of Sion, behold thy King cometh unta 
thee. * 

Relates coming of Christ to Jerusalem which 
jj oly really took place on Palm Sunday, — one of many 
Gospel examples of symbolic meaning which Church has 
stamped on Holy Scripture. Fulfilment of prophecy 
of Zechariah. Zech. ix. 9. 
(1) Christ's coming to Jerusalem, type of His coming to His 
Church. He came to Jerusalem. 

(a) To give offers of mercy. 

(b) " bear witness against impenitent. 

(c) " cleanse His sanctuary. 

(d) " offer His atonement. 
He comes to His Church now. 

(a) To give offers of mercy, through ministry of reconcilia- 
tion. 

(b) To bear witness against impenitent. Every service, 
every sacrament; continuous existence of His Church; diffusion 
of written words of Holy Scripture; transmission of ministerial 
powers — witness against unbelieving world. 



BIBLE WEEK. 



775 



(c) To cleanse His sanctuary. By voice of conscience ; by 
calls to repentance; by power of keys; by warnings of His 
ministers not to profane His altar by unholy living &c. (Warn 
against unprepared Communion). 

(d) To offer His atonement. By pleading it before God and 
man in sacrament of His own appointment. By applying it to 
individual consciences. [Recommend presence (and partaking 
C. F. H.) of faithful at Holy Eucharist as great act of Christian 
sacrifice]. 

(n) Way in which He was received when He came to Jeru- 
salem, — type of way in which he is received now. 
Two parties now as then. 

Those who love His appearing; or who say ' we will not have 
this man to reign over us.' 

Those who accept offers of mercy made in His name by His 
ministers; or who reject them as the Jews did Christ and His 
Apostles. 

Those who listening to voice of conscience cleanse sanctuary of 
their hearts so as to make them His fitting resting places; or those 
who grieving Him by their sins drive His Holy Spirit from thera 
as Jews did Christ from temple. S. A. 

BIBLE- WEEK. 

The Church to prepare us farther for Christ's coming in the 
flesh sends us this day as Christ did the Pharisees, to the Holy 
Scriptures, for they are they that testify of Him; all the prophecies 
and promise^ extant of Him, being recorded there for our use and 
benefit. The Collect for the day acquaints us, that God hath 
caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning, and 
therefore prays, that we may in such wise hear them, read, 
mark, learn and inwardly, digest them, that by patience and 
comfort of His holy Word we may embrace, and ever hold fast 
the blessed hope of everlasting life, which He hath given us in 
our Saviour Jesus Chris t. 

The Epistle for the day, out of which this Collect was taken, 
tells us likewise in the beginning, that 'whatsoever things were 
written aforetime, were written for our learning ;' that is, the 
prophecies of old, as well as the latter precepts or promises, were 
all designed for our instruction, 'that we through patience and 
comfort of the Scriptures might have hope ;' meaning, that we 



776 



BIBLE WEEK. 



may have patience in waiting, joy in waiting for them, and com- 
fort in the fulfilling and enjoying of them. So that these words, 
which direct the service of this day, hold forth to u>, — 

First, the excellency and Divine authority of the holy Scrip- 
tures, which are here said to be ' written ' that is, of God, or 
men inspired by Him. 

Secondly, The usefulness of them ; they were 1 written for 
our learning.' And, 

Thirdly, The end and design of them, 4 that we through 
patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.' 

M. H. 

There appear to be two modes of interpreting and under- 
standing the Sacred writings. Some persons with a scrupulous 
and religious jealo.isy would contend, that we should consider 
nothing as binding on the conscience, unless it can be supported 
by express warranty in the very words of Holy Scripture; or 
would perhaps allow as a great matter, that this acceptance and 
belief should be extended lo deductions, legitimately and logi- 
cally drawn from the sacred text. While others would consid- 
er that the whole of Scripture admits of higher and spiritual in- 
terpretations, whereby ' mysteries are revealed unto the meek,' 
who are led on by faith into all the treasures which are hid in 
Christ. 

Now this latter we shall find sanctioned, I think, not only by 
the Church Catholic of all ages, and the practice of Fathers and 
Apostles, and Evangelists, but even by the Divine authority of 
our Lord Himself. In all the instances in which He cites 
passages from the Old Testament, they are such as do not prove 
the point in question, in a manner to satisfy a rationalistic, cur- 
ious and captious enquirer. If we may venture so to speak of 
His divine and awful sayings, the inferences to be granted can- 
not be logically deduced from the word referred to ; they are 
rather appeals to the faith of the hearer than to his reason; ar- 
guments addressed to the heart more than to the head ; being 
the tests of his own life and conscience, rather than submitting 
themselves in deference to his understanding; searchers and 
discerners of him, rather than to be searched and discerned by 
him. 

It is not only to the Scribes and Pharisees that our Lord ap- 
peals to the Scriptures ; His language to all is, ' Search the 
Scriptures ; ' for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they 
are they which testify of Me.' Yet He no more implies, that 



BIBLE WEES. 



777 



unassisted reason was of itself sufficient to understand them : 
and the contrary, we find that even disciples could not, until 
Christ 'expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things con- 
cerning Himself;' nor could the Apostles until He 'opened their 
minds that they should understand the Scriptures - / which very 
expressions would imply that our Lord's proofs from the Old 
Testament were not of such a nature as to be palpably obvious 
to the intellect. And it seems reasonable to expect, in accord- 
ance with this, that He Himself (whether as infallibly residing 
in His Church, or as enlightening the individual conscience,') 
may furnish us with a key to unlock therein the things concern- 
ing Himself which we should not otherwise arrive at. As when 
He sent the blind man to the pool of Siloam, He had Himself 
first anointed his eyes; in like manner, though fie sends us to 
the Scriptures, He still requires a preparation of heart which is 
of God before we can perceive. ' How can I understand ex- 
cept some man should guide me?' (Acts viii. 31) is the exclama- 
tion of the natural man, although the words of Holy Scripture 
may be in His hands. And this natural exclamation was made 
in a case so approved of, that it was thought worthy of an espe- 
cial mission of God's favour. And we find our Blessed Lord's 
disciples were reproved by Him for not perceiving the force of 
the Scriptures, in the same way as they were for not understand- 
ing His own words; not as implying in them slowness of reason, 
but of faith. 'O simple ones, and slow of heart to believe all that 
the Prophets have spoken! ' are our Lord's words to His two 
disciples who were going to Emmans. Add to which, that as 
Divine knowledge is always spoken of, so emphatically as the 
especial gift of God alone, and it is said that 'no man can come to 
Christ excepting the Father, Which hath sent Him, draw him,* 
this would lead us to suppose it probable that so great an av- 
enue or access to knowledge as that of the Holy Scriptures, and 
so important a means of being brought to Christ, would depend 
for its interpretation on something of a higher nature than the 
mere reason; something more particularly to be considered of a 
Divine nature. 

It is unnecessary to allude to this rule of Divine teaching be- 
fore we come to the particular instances to be referred to, that 
it may not appear a matter of offence to any one, or an ungra- 
cious task, as if we were derogating in some degree from the 
sanctity and certainty of our Lord's references, as not being 
satisfactory to the natural reason ; whereas the effect of the 



773 



BIBLE WEEK 



argument will be found to be of a very different nature ; asim- 
pVing that in no way can we approach unto God, or understand 
His words, without purified affection illuminating and exalting 
the human intellect. The fact that our Lord's appeals to Scrip- 
ture do not square with, or correspond to, the demands of a carnal 
mind, no more derogates from them, than it does from His Di- 
vine and mysterious majesty, as manifested in the humiliations of 
Christ Crucified, that it does not correspond with our natural 
ideas of greatness. In both instances it may be the case, that in 
the eyes of that 'Wisdom which is from above,' the apparent 
human weakness is Divine strength ; for as the power and holi- 
ness and greatness of God are most seen in external circum- 
stances of human degradation, so the wisdom of God will be most 
seen in the words which infinitely transcend the feeble demands 
of frail reason. All, therefore, that it is first necessary to allude 
to is the fact, that it is perfectly analogous with all the dealings 
of God's moral providence, both natural and revealed, that He 
should thus disclose to us Divine truths, concealing His wis- 
dom, in what may appear foolishness to the natural man. That 
the very inadequacy of the proof, humanly speaking, may be 
best calculated to attain those high ends for which it is Divinely 
intended. That the Holy Word of God. like the works of 
nature, and the dealings of a particular Providence is as a sealed 
book to mankind till opened by faith, but to faith discloses all 
the treasures of the heavenly Kingdom. 

At the same time it is not to be supposed f hat we derogate 
from the strict letter of Scripture or allow of fanciful interpreta- 
tion ; for we of course maintain the Divine authority of Scrip- 
ture even down to the very word and letter of it, as deeply and 
clearly true, and full of Divine significations ; but that these are 
revealed rather to faith than to speculative reason. In short, 
that we must not do as men among us too often have done, 
when, for the sake of contending with unbelievers, they enter 
upon their ground, as if we could argue from reason only, giving 
up the armour in which alone we can trust, and forgetting that 
we ourselves stand only by faith. It is not that such evidence 
from Holy Scripture is against reason, or independent of reason, 
but that it requires faith together with reason to explain, and 
enter into the Divine fullness of its meaning. Faith is the 
essential and primary requisite, without which reason is quite 
unavailing, and unable to proceed one step. But with this 
acccompaniment, so far from confining or limiting the powers 



BIBLE WEEK, 



779 



of reason, we open to it the only scope and range through 
which it may freely expatiate, as leading through the infinity 
of boundless nature to the footstool of God. 

Or it might be said, do you not leave each person to be the 
interpreter of Scripture according to the fancied sense of the 
Spirit? for if any one says he is led by the Spirit to attach 
such a meaning to the words of Holy Scripture, which is be- 
yond the natural reason, you leave no appeal beyond the private 
interpretation of each. But this is not so ; for we know that 
great essential truth is supported by adequate authority ; that 
no truth which proceeds from the Spirit can be at variance 
with the Church, in which the Spirit resides, or to the general 
analogy of God's Word. Hut, however, the point maintained 
is of icself to be proved, or disproved, merely as a matter of 
fact to be shown by instances ; and all that is necessary is 
meiely to beg on the outset a patient consideration, as to a 
point by no means contrary to religious reverence or natural 
piety. J. W. 



HISTORY OF THE BIBLE. 

When the Law was given to Moses, he wrote it out in a book, 
and gave it to the Levites to keep by the side of the Ark. All 
other copies of the books of the Law were taken from this one ; 
and to it were added the rest of the Sacred Scriptures of the 
Old Testament as they were written. These books were not 
like ours, but consisted of the skins of clean animals, such as 
sheep or goats, prepared so as to be soft and to take ink well, 
and then fastened together by thongs, with a roller at each end, 
so that when not in use, they were wound up in two rolls meet- 
ing one another in the middle. These were written on one 
side only, in columns of a regular length and breadth, with a 
pen made of reed. The language was Hebrew, and the beau- 
tiful square letters went from right to left, instead of from left 
to right, as our words do. There is a roll at Cambridge, which 
in the year 1806, was found among some Jews in India, whose 
forefathers are believed to have come thither in the time of Neb- 
uchadnezzar. It is composed of thirty seven goat skins, and is 
forty-eight feet long and twenty-two inches broad, and contains 
most of the Pentateuch; but the Book of Leviticus and part of 
Deuteronomy is missing. The books ot the Law always formed 
one roll alone; and the books of history, the books of the 



780 



BIBLE WEEK. 



prophets, and the holy writings, were arranged in other di- 
visions. 

Every scribe, who undertook to copy out the Law to be read 
in the synagogues was obliged to keep to the exact number of 
lines and columns, to say every word aloud as he set it down, 
and when he came to the name of God, to wash his pen before 
writing it. After the whole was fini-hed, he had to give it to 
the Levites to be examined, and if they found four errors 
merely in the spelling in one skin the whole work was good for 
nothing, so carefully did the Jews keep the treasure committed 
to their trust. A few of these precious copies are laid up in 
museums, but very few, for the Jews would always rather bury 
them than let a Christian have them; but there are enough to 
show us that 'not one jot or tittle of the Law' has been missed 
in the Scriptures as we have them. 

In the captivity at Babylon, the Jews forgot much of their 
Hebrew, and especially Hebrew writing; so they had copies 
made in Chaldean letters to read at home, often with beautiful 
coloured or gilt and silvered letters at the beginning of the 
books. There is a story that the Greek King of Egypt, Plotemy 
Philadelphia, set seventy-two scribes to translate the Scriptures 
into Greek for his grand library at Alexandria. Such a trans- 
lation was certainly made, and called the Septaugint, though 
whether from the seventy-two scribes or from its having taken 
seventy years to make it. is uncertain. And as Greek became 
the favourite language all over the East, most of the Jews, when 
our Lord was on earth, used this Greek version to read at 
home, though, then as now, Hebrew was still read in the syna- 
gogues; and was afterwards explained. Greek writing went 
from left to right, like our own, and had many letters like ours. 
Sometimes it was traced with an iron pen called a style upon 
the soft white lining of the papyrus-reed, spread out flat for the 
purpose; sometimes it was in ink upon parchment, the name 
given to prepared sheep-skin, because Pergamus was the king- 
dom where its use had begun. The books of the New Testa- 
ment were all first written in Greek, and were given as they 
were written to different Churches, where Christians copied them 
off as they requried. There were many copies when — A. D. 230 
— Origen, one of the holy fathers of the Church, collected all 
the manuscripts both of the New and Old Testaments, and 
carefully compared them, marking off all the differences be- 



BIBLE WEEK. 



781 



tween the old Hebrew and the Septaugint, and -correcting the 
copies of the Greek Testament by one another. 

•The oldest copy of the New Testament known to exist, is 
written on vellum in old Greek letters, without any stops or di- 
visions between the words, and is in four large volumes, con- 
taining besides, the Septaugint, and some writings of S. Clem- 
ent and S. Athanasius. It is believed to have been all copied 
by a lad) 7 at Alexandria, named Thekla, who lived about the 
time of the of the Council of Nicea. What an honour for a 
woman to have made the oldest copy of the New Testament now 
surviving! It is now in the British Museum, having come to 
England as a present to King Charles I., from Cyril Lucar, a 
patriarch of Constantinople, who was afterwards martyred by the 
Turks. There is another nearly as old in the Pope's Library 
at the Vatican, and the fragments of many more in other places, 
all agreeing in all main points. 

In A. D. 390, S. Jerome, a learned Roman, began translat- 
ing the Bible into Latin, as well as carefully overlooking all the 
copies and commenting on them. The translation which he be- 
gan is called the Vulgate (because Latin was then the vulgar 
tongue) and was read in all the Western Church. About that 
very time the Gothic Bishop Ulphilas made a translation of the 
Bible into his own tougue the root of that which we speak; and 
there is a beautiful copy of the Four Gospels from this at Upsal 
in Sweden, written on violet coloured vellum, in silver letters, 
with gold capitals, and bound in embossed silver. 

There were, however, few translations, and not many people 
could read; so the Latin Vulgate was chiefly used, and was 
written out most beautifully on vellum, with lovely borders 'o 
the pages, and brightly coloured paintings at the heads of the 
chapters, so brilliant and so delicate, that they are perfect mar- 
vels. At last the art of making paper was discovered'; and soon 
after, printing made books cheaper and more plentiful, so that 
every one began learning to read; aud soon there was a longing 
to have the Holy Word in a language better understood than 
Latin. 

At the time of the Reformation, Bishop Miles Coverdale trans- 
lated the Bible from the Vulgate, and people were so eager to 
hear it, that the books were sometimes chained on to the desks 
in churches that they might not be taken home, while all day 
large numbers would stand to hear chapters read aloud. Our 
Prayer-Book Psalms, and the Offertory Sentences, stand as in 



732 



BIBLE WEEK. 



this first translation; but afterwards King James I. thought it 
right that a new version should be made from the Greek and 
Hebrew themselves, as being more certain to be correct than 
the Latin; so he set forty-eight of the best scholars to the 
great work, and ihey brought out the English Bible which is in 
all our hands, and whence are read our Lessons, Gospels and 
Epistles. 

Since that time the Scripture has been translated into the lan- 
guage of nearly every nation under heaven. Some are still not 
allowed to read it freely; some refuse it for the sake of their 
own false religions; but even of those who, like ourselves, have 
the Word brought nigh unto them, many do not rightly heed 
nor use their treasure. 

It is the lesson of to-day's Epistle, that the things written 
aforetime, in the Old Testament as much as in the New, are for 
us and for our learning — The Old Testament the bud, as_ the 
New Testament is the lruit; and it is the prayer of the Collect, 
that the precious gift, thus providentially placed in all our hands, 
may be so laid to heart as that we may embrace and hold fast 
the blessed hope that it reveals to us. For to us the presence of 
of the Holy Word is one of the ways in which the Lord, Him- 
self, whose Word it is, is still among us. S. T. 

THE BIBLE. 

The Old and New Testaments form a collection of sixty-six 
distinct books, writen in several languages, by thirty-six or 
more authors, at various times, during a period of 1.600 years. 
But they are all brought toge her in one volume, and called by 
one name, because the whole possess an unity through the in- 
spiration of all their writers by one Person, God the Holy 
Ghost. 

§ Inspiration, and the authority it gives to the Bible. 
The ' Inspiration ' of the Bible means that its contents were 
communicated to the writers by the SPIRIT of God, that is God 
the Holy Ghost. That which is thus inspired, is God's word ; 
by human organs of speech, written by human hands, and 
moulded in some small degree by human thought. Those who 
were under its influence were prevented from saying, or record- 
ing, any thing but what it was the purpose of the Divine In- 
spirer that they should so say and record. Whether therefore 
the Divine communication was inspired word for word, or by 



BIBLE WEEK. 



783 



general menial impressions, or by recollections of what had 
been said or done long before; the inspired person was actually 
and effectually controlled by the Divine Power to such an ex- 
tent, that the report or record of the communication was as 
substantially exact at his lips or hands, as if it had been an 
audible word of God, or a Divine autograph. Anything thus 
recorded must be of the very highest authority possible, and 
can admit of no doubt or disbelief without calling in question 
the truthfulness of God. But, unless God had providentially 
guarded His communications to, and through, inspired men, it 
might be expected that the lapse of time, negligence of tran- 
scribers, alterations in the form of letters, or ol the mode in 
which numbers are expressed or even the interpolations of 
interested persons for their own purposes — would have their 
influence, and prevent the books of the Bible from coming down 
to us exactly as they were originally given by inspirauon of 
God. Whether or not such corruptions have crept into the text 
of Scripture is a ^perfectly legitimate subject of inquiry; and 
many learned men have spent their lives in endeavoring to 
ascertain how far such influences as those referred to may have 
extended. If the Pentateuch or the Gospels, for instance, have 
been much altered, or adulterated, we may well ask whether 
any part, and if so, what part of the original communications of 
GOD to Moses and the Evangelists remains in them. 

§ Reasons for believing our Bible to be authentic. 
All painstaking and learned inquiry of this sort proves that 
what we now have put into our hands as the Holy Scriptures, 
is substantially the same as that which was originally given to 
the world by each writer; and the further the inquiry is carried, 
the more certain does this become. The oldest copies of the 
Bible, which are known to exist, are three : one in the British 
Museum, one in the Vatican library at Rome, and one in the 
Imperial Library at S. Petersburg. These were all written 
less than 400 years after the Ascension of our Lord. There 
are other copies (or portions of copies), nearly as ancient, in the 
public libraries at Paris, Cambridge, and elsewhere; and mul- 
titudes of those that were written in later centuries, in the orig- 
inal, and many other languages. All these are substantially 
alike; the variations, though many in number, being generally 
of an unimportant character, such as may be referred to the 
accidents of the copyists' word, and such as may be corrected 



i 

784 



BIBLE WEEK 



by comparison of many copies with each other. Of the Old 
Testament, there are still older copies; and the exact agree- 
ment of these is such, that a very ancient Hebrew Manuscript, 
written on goat-skins, and brought from Malabar, has been 
found to have only forty minute and unimportant variations 
from other copies which were written in places thousands of 
miles distant. 

There is strong evidence, therefore, that the substance of the 
modern Bible, or of any particular book in it, has remained 
unaltered in all important particulars, since its first delivery to 
the world. The Greek New Testament of the nineteenth cen- 
tury is substantially identical with that of the fourth century; 
the Hebrew Old Testament with that of still older date; and it 
may be reasonably concluded, that both are the same Bible as 
was left in the hands of the Christian world by the Apostles who 
lived in the latter half of the first century. 

That such should be the case might be naturally expected for 
two reasons, First, it is probable, almost to certainty, that God, 
who originally made those communications to men of which the 
Holy Scriptures are composed, would also interpose for their 
preservation in a state of integrity. And, secondly, the Holy 
Scriptures have always been so valued by those who possessed 
them, both Jews and Christians, that every human precaution 
would be taken against their corruption. 

But the pages of the Bible themselves furnish proofs to a 
plain Christian man, that what he reads has all come from one 
source, and that the source from which it has come is a Divine 
one. Throughout the Old Testament there are a multitude of 
prophecies respecting our Lord, uttered and written at vaiious 
times during many centuries, by a great variety of persons, yet 
all consistently gathering upon one person with an unity that 
could not have happened except by their derivation from one 
general fountain of information, and from a knowledge which 
extended infinitely be>ond the bounds of human knowledge. 
Such a knowledge alone could have spoken respecting things 
which were to happen hundreds of years afterwards, as men 
would speak of events that had become matters of experience 
or history. Examples may be found in almost every page of 
the Bible; for, in reality, the whole Bible revolves around one 
central object, the Person and work of the Redeemer. At the 
very beginning of its books there is a prediction about the 
bruising of the tempter's head by the heel of the woman's 



L.BLE WEEK. 



785 



Child; another, that the sceptre should not depart from Judah 
till Shilah had come, — when as yet there was no sceptre at all 
in Judah, or in any other member of Jacob's family, #c. . . . 

Again, there are a great number of singular coincidences 
which carry on their face an undesigned character, and which 
are proof that the books containing them are from one common 
source of knowledge; though there are also proofs incontro- 
vertible that they were written by different persons, at different 
times. This kind of illustration is, however, too elaborate for 
these pages; and it is sufficient to refer to Professor Blunt's 
* Undesigned Coincidences,' and Paley's ' florae Paulinae,' 
where a great number of them have been gathered out of Holy 
Scripture, and their force shown by very acute reasoning. 

Lastly, it will be observed by a careful reader of the Bible r 
that there is in it a depth of insight into human nature which 
has no parallel, nor anything approaching to a parallel in any 
other book. Under ail cii cumstances of life all persons may 
find there something applying to themselves by way of convic- 
tion, guidance, or consolation; and applying, too, in such a 
manner as mere words of men never do. We feel, if we can- 
not reason out the fact, that this is no reproduction of human 
experience, such as we find in a gifted writer like Shakspeare, 
but that it is the penetrative insight of an eye of which one 
once wrote, ' If I go up into Heaven, Thou art there; If I go 
down into hell, Thou art there also. If I take the wings of the 
morning, and remain in the uttermost part of the sea, even 
there also shall Thy hand lead me, anid Thy right hand shall 
hold me.' It is the penetrative insight of that Word of God 
which is 'living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged 
sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, 
and of the joints and marrow, and is a discemerof the thoughts 
and intents of the heart.' 

There is no clear proof that any one of the Apocryphal books 
are inspired., and there is good reason to think that some of 
them are not; they are not, therefore, included among the books 
of the Old Testament by the Church of England, nor by the 
Eastern Church. The opinion of the ancient Church on the 
subject is represented by a quotation from S. Jerome inserted 
in the Sixth Article of Religion, which states that the Church 
reads them for example of life, and instruction of manners, but 
does not look to them for the proof of any doctrine. The 
Council of Trent unwisely took exactly the opposite course to 



786 



BIBLE WEEK. 



that of the Church of England, and declared all the books of the 
Apocrypha to be of equal authority with those of the Old Testa- 
ment, a course which puts these books in a higher estimation 
than they were ever be.'ore held by authority in any portion of 
the Christian Church, or by the Jews. 

Under all the circumstances with which the books called 
Apocrypha have come down to us, it is wisest to follow the 
lines pointed out by the course taken at the translation of the 
Church of England Bible. When they are read in Church, 
they should be listened to with reverence; and as there is so 
much historical information in some, and so much practical and 
spiritual wisdom in others, they may well be read in private 
by grown-up persons who know what is their true position in 
the volume of the Holy Bible. Of the books of Wisdom and 
and Ecclesiasticus it is difficult to speak certainly as uninspired, 
and those of the Maccabees have great and just interest. But 
it is well to remember that none of the books in question are 
entitled to that full and undoubting belief and trust which we 
ought to give to those of the Old and New Testament. 

§ Division of the Bible into Chapters and Verses. 

The most ancient copies of the Holy Bible are written in 
capital letters, without any breaks between the words, and with- 
out stops. Thus the beginning of S. John's Gospel reads in this 
fashion: — 

INTHE BEGIN N TNG WASTHEWORDANDTHE WORD 
WASWITHGODANDTHEWORDWASGODTHESAME 
WASIN T HE BEGIN NINGWITH GOD ALLT HIM GS 
WEREMADEBY H 1 MANDW ITHOUTHIM W ASNOT 
ANYTHINGMADETKATWASMADEIXHIMWASLIFE 
ANDTHELIFEWASTHELIGHTOFMENANDTHE 
LIGHTS HINETHIXDARKXESS 

In later times the small letters began to be used instead of 
capitals, and then the words to be divided. Even before this 
division of the words, Eusebius, the great Church historian of 
the fourth century, had made a division of the Gospels into ten 
canons or chapters and into smaller sections, which were 
marked upon the margin of the pages. But the division into 
chapters which we are now so familiar with was not made until 
the twelfth century, when it is supposed to have been effected 



BIBLE WEEK. 



737 



by Cardinal Hugh de St. Cher, who was the first to compose a 
concordance of the Bible. There was an ancient Hebrew di- 
vision of the Old Testament into verses; and divisions of a 
similar kind, but longer, were in us t before the Reformaiton. 
For our familiar division of Hugh de St. Cher's chapters into 
verses, we are indebted to a printer of the sixteenth century, 
named Stephens, and it was first adopted in 1551. 

These divisions have, of course, no Divine authority; nor 
are they always the best that might be made. In some cases they 
seem to fall in naturally wi h the arrangement of ideas that 
was in the mind of those who wrote the various books; but they 
should never be taken for more than they are worth; and 
especially, should not be allowed to bias the reader of the Bible 
in his understanding of any passage, as neither the French 
printer nor the Roman Cardinal brought anything more than 
human industry and learning to their work. 

H. T. 

4 Whatsoever things were written afortimes ivere written for 
our learning, thai we through patience and comfort of the Scrip- 
tures might have hope.' — (Rom. xv. 4). 

Holy Church suggests three means whereby to prepare for 
coming of Christ, (1) Conscience, (2) Holy Scripture, (3) Min- 
istry. 

All necessary — for if conscience is to be a true guide, it needs 
to be rightly instructed. For this object Holy Scripture given, 
but Scripture itself can only be rule of faith and practice 
when rightly understood. Hence need of living voice of Church. 
Clergy are to hold forth the 'Word of Life' Phil ii. 16., as com- 
missioned by 4 the Church of the Living God,' 4 the pillar and 
ground of the truth.' I Tim iii. 15. They are to prophecy (or 
preach) according to the proportion of the faith. As stewards 
of the mysteries of God (Epistle for third Sunday) they are to 
give to members of the Christian household 4 their meat in due 
season.' S. Matt. xxiv. 45. 

Holy Scripture a priceless treasury, but like all gifts of God, 
must be rightly used. It needs both a teachable spirit and wit- 
ness of Church to understand it. 'Understandest thou what 
thou readest,' was question of S. Philip to Ethiopian nobleman; 
and his answer should be that of devout Member of Church, 
* How can I expect one should guide me ?' The appointed 
guide is the Church, who like Philip of old will open her mouth, 



788 



ministers' week. 



begin with Scriptures, and preach unto him Jesus. Acts viii. 

People imagine that all they have lo do is to pray for divine 
guidance, and to be sure of being led right. But (I) God has 
never left frail and erring man to such responsibility; (2) Men 
do pray and search Scriptures, and do not find truth : e. g., 
Pharisees who searched Scriptures and did not come 10 Christ 
that they might have life. Christian Sectaries who all acknowl- 
edge Scripture but differ on the very element of faith. S. John 
v. 39. Scripture was given to a living Body. Jewish Church 
existed before Old, and Christian Church before New Testa- 
ment was compiled. ' The Church and the Bible are from God ; 
the one is God's Kingdom, and the other is His word.' As 
soon as we are conscious of anything, we find the Church with 
Holy Scripture in her hands, and appointed by God to declare 
it to us, and instruct us in its meaning. (Bp. Wordsworth). 

S. S. A. 

MINISTERS' WEEK. 

Christ our Lord, was no priest by birth ; He came (as S. 
Paul reminds the Jew> in his Epistle to the Hebrews, chap, vii. 
14, and viii. 4) of a tribe which had nothing to do with the 
priesthood, yet is lie the great High Priest. S. John said of 
Christ and himself, 'He must increase, but I must decrease.' 
In nothing was this more strikingly illustrated than in their con- 
nection with the priesthood. S. John rightly and by inheritance 
a priest of Moses' law. declining from his priestly office; Chrj.-t, 
not a priest by birth or legal enactment, but fulfilling in His 
sacred person all priestly functions, and ' made an High Priest 
for ever.' And, indeed, though not legally— that is, according 
to Moses' law — a priest. He belonged to an order of pries' hood 
far more ancient than Moses' time, and far higher than Aaron 
and his order 'Whither,' writes S. Paul, ■ the fore-runner is 
for us entered, even Jesus, made an High-Priest forever after 
the order of MelchizedcK.' The very remarkable history of Mel- 
chizedek, thrust in, as we may almost say. unexpectedly, and 
occupying only three verses in Gen. xiv. 1S-20, tells us all that 
is known of this order of priesthood. From him and not from 
Aaron does Christ take His piiesthood; but we hear nothing 
again of him till S. Paul unfolds his typical character, save the 



ministers' week. 



789 



one testimony of the Psalmist, — -'the Lord hath sworn, and will 
not repent, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchi- 
zedek.' (Ps. ex. 4.) After Melchizedek God was pleased to 
set up another order or set of priests, inferior to him, namely, 
Aaron and his family. These He honoured with especial hon- 
our, and made them to be types and patterns in their lesser de- 
gree, of Jesus Christ. But He, when He came belonged to 
the higher and older class; yet He fulfilled in Himself all that 
Aaron's family had prefigured ; He fulfilled all that and went 
beyond it. 

He is our great High-Priest now. As Aaron and those of 
his oider went within the veil once a year, so has Christ, 'once 
in the end of the world' entered into heaven itself, being of the 
higher and more ancient order of Melchizedek, Like Aaron 
and his order, He performs those works which the day of atone- 
ment signified, but He performs them after the order of Mel- 
chizedek. Before the presence of the eternal Father Jesus is 
continually presenting His own sacrifice, His crucified Body, as 
the atonement for our sins. He exhibits that Body to the 
Father in our behalf, showing how 'the Lord laid on Him the 
iniquity of us all;' and so, as our 'Advocate with the Father,' 
pleading that we may be forgiven.' He offers a continual and 
unbroken intercession for FI s people. This He does in a two- 
fold manner: 1. He prays Himself for us ; 2. He offers our 
prayers to God. He has not yet put off His linen garments. His 
body of humiliation. Once more He will appear, — not as a 
suffering Man, but in glorious majesty as man and God, in the 
glory of His Father ;' not bereft of His Manhood, but with 
His Godhead unclouded, — when He comes to judge the quick 
and the dead. 

Melchizedek 'brought forth bread and wine,' and 'blessed* 
Abram. This is all we are told of his priesthood. We cannot 
doubt, therefore, as the Christian Church has ever believed, that 
herein was shown forth in the very earliest days of God's 
chosen people, the great mystery of Christ's sacrifice and 
presence in Ho ] y Communion. The bread and wine of Melchi- 
zedek's offering prefigured the same deep mystery which the 
bread and wine of the Christian Sacrament keep in remem- 
brance. They were memorials as these are; it is through these 
that our great HigfuPriest afier the order of Melchizedek car- 
ries on His priestly office for us now. For all things that you 
want of Him, come to Him in Holy Communion. There we 



790 



ministers' week. 



on earth join Him in His work in heaven. He presents to His 
Father His Body slain and His blood shed for us. When we 
break bread and pour out wine in His name ' we shew forth His 
'death.' We do it ' in remembrance of Him; that is, while 
we ourselves here on earth remember His death and blood- 
shedding, we also, by doing this as He ordered, -put God the 
Father in remembrance of it likewise; not that He would for- 
get, but that He chooses to be reminded by His people. Christ 
performs His priestly work in heaven, and allows us to unite 
with Him by doing the figure or sign of it on earth. Here, 
then, we are most sure of drawing out from Him all the bless- 
ings which as our High-Priest He has to give. T. C. S. 

As John prepared the way for Christ's first coming, so His 
ministers are sent to prepare the way for His second coming ; 
and when we attend their ministry, we may well say to our- 
selves, What go we forth to see, or hear? a reed shaken with 
the wind ? Do we wish to find a minister carried about with 
every new wind of doctrine, a setter forth of new and strange 
things ; or, a firm and earnest expounder of the truth ? Do we 
wish to hear smooth things; a self-indulgent doctrine; what is 
pleasant to the flesh? Surely Christ's house is not the place in 
which to seek such things, nor Christ's ministers the persons 
to expect them from. Rather seek these things in the world, for 
these are agreeable to this world's character and teachings. If 
the ministers of the Lord Jesus would gain from their Master 
such a testimony as He bore to the holy Baptist, they must set 
forth a far different doctrine from this, both by their preaching 
and living : and we (when we attend their ministry) should ex- 
pect a holy and strict admonition; remembering also that we 
shall be questioned how we have attended to it. 

W. J. T. 

The Christians at Corinth were too soon divided into parties 
who attached themselves to different teachers; and each party 
magnified its own self-chosen leader at the expense of the others. 
One said, ' I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos;' (I 
Cor. iii. 4.) as men in our own days attach themselves to this 
or that religious body, instead of calling themselves only by that 
Holy Name which it is our privilege to bear as having been 
baptized into the Church of Christ. 

it is a wonder how professed Christians can do this in the 



ministers' week. 



791 



face of such strong condemnations of their practice as are con* 
tained in this Epistle to the Corinthians. We are here told in 
what light Christians should regard their teachers; namely, ' as 
the ministers,' or servants (such is the meaning of the word), 
1 of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.' They 
were not to regard them as leaders, in whose name and abili- 
ity they were to boast, but as the mere servants of their Heav- 
enly Mas ter; the mere stewards appointed by Him to dispense 
His mysteries, which are the two Holy Sacraments, — and also the 
various truths revealed from Heaven, * for doctrine, for reproof, 
for correction, for instruction in righteouness; that the man of 
God maybe perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.' 
(2 Tim. iii. 16, 17). 

Let us dwell a little on this subject. 

1st. If the teachers of religion are ministers of CHRIST, and 
stewards of the mysteries of God, it is plain that there must be 
a regular appointment of them to their office. No one may 
take it upon himself without such appointment. Who thinks 
of acting as steward for an earthly master without being ap- 
pointed by him to that office ? and shall men venture to do in 
the case of their Heavenly Master what no one would think 
of doing in the case of an earthly master? If there are mysteries 
to be dispensed, must they not first be committed to those who 
are to dispense them; just as when our Lord fed the multitude, 
He gave the bread first to His disciples, and these dispensed it 
to the people ? Thus we all kn >w how at first He appointed 
twelve, and afterwards miraculously called S. Paul, to be 
Apostles. And you may gather from the Epistles to Timothy 
and Titus that b. Paul appointed those holy men to be the 
first bishops, the one of Ephesus, the other of Crete, in order 
that they might appoint others. And so from that original ap- 
pointment the commission has been handed on, by a regular 
succession from age to age, to our times; and the priest or dea- 
con in every parish still derives his authority to preach the 
word, and to dispense the Sacraments or mysteries of Christ, 
from that authority which our Lord bestowed on those whom 
He so solemnly addressed: 'As my Father hath sent me, 
even so send I you.' (John xx. 21.) It is our blessing, in be- 
longing to the Church. ... to be assured that those who 
minister to us in holy things do not venture to do so on their 
own authority, but that they have received a commission to 
minister the sacraments and preach the Gospel in the Church of 



792 



ministers' week. 



God, from those whom our Lord at first appointed His stew- 
ards, with authority to appoint others after them. 

2ndly, S. Paul here reminds himself and the Corinthians how 
necessary it is that a Christian minister should be faithful in 
his charge. 

The next thought suggested by this Scripture is, Who shall 
be the judge, whether or not the minister is faithful? Is the 
opinion of men to decide that question ? Far from it. ' With 
me,' S. Paul says, 'it is a very small thing that I should be 
judged of you or of man's judgment/ 

We may all learn of this saying not to think too much of the 
judgment of our fellow-men. Not that we ought to be indif- 
ferent to the r*ood opinion of the wise and good; on the con- 
trary, we should wish for it, but still must remember that we 
have a higher rule to walk by than man's judgment. We shall 
never walk steadily by that rule, if we are always thinking what 
men will think of us, or how we may please all parties. Least 
of all should the minister of God make man's favourable judg- 
ment his rule or end. He should ever remember how little 
man can see, and refer himself to the judgment of God. ' For, 
as we do not stand or fall by the judgment of our fellow-men, 
neither is it our judgment of ourselves that will suffice to acquit 
us. 'Yea, I judge not mine own self,' the Apostle says, 4 for,' 
he adds, ' I know nothing by myself;' the words mean, I am 
not conscious of any unfaithfulness; ' yet am I not hereby jus- 
tified : but Tie that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge 
nothing before the time, until the Lord come, Who both will 
bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make 
manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall every man 
have praise of God.' It is very important to remember, not 
only with reference to ministerial duties, but with respect to all 
the duties incumbent on any Christian, that he must not de- 
pend too much on the verdict of his conscience. If pains be 
not taken to keep the conscience tender and enlightened, it 
ceases to give a true verdict; and then, if the light that is in us 
be darkncs, how great is that darkness. (Matt. vi. 23) 

If it be required in a minister that he be found faithful, then 
surely the people should both wish and pray that their own 
spiritual pastor may be faithful in his dealing with them. They 
should not wish to hear smooth things ; (Is. xxx. 10) a flattering 
report, which may allow them to go on without concern to the 
last, self-satisfied, self-indulgent, self-sufficient. Rather should 



ministers' week. 



793 



they wish and pray that the relation between them and their 
minister may be what God intends it; the means not only of 
comforting them in sorrow through patience and consolation of 
the Scripture; but also of convincing them of any truths, how- 
ever distasteful and humiliating, which it may be necessary for 
thein to receive. 

W. J. T. 

I shall endeavor to show you, from the Bible, how it is God's 
will that there should be, in His religion, Holy Men, set apart 
from the world, and dedicated mce especially to the service of 
the sanctuary. 

And rirst, let us begin with the Jews. Out of the whole 
twelve tribes into which the children of Israel were divided, one 
tribe was set apart for the performance of divine service — the 
tribe of Le.i. This tribe, you will see from your Bible, had 
special privileges and exemptions, were treated differently, and 
had peculiar marks by which they might be known; and, above 
all, were consecrated and set apart from the other Israelites by 
anointings, washings, and various other religious ceremonies. 
But, still further than this, out of all the numerous families into 
which this tribe was subdivided, the family of one man was 
again set apart and consecrated for the office of 'he priesthood. 
While the ordinary families were ministers of holy things in the 
lower offices of divine service, the family of Aaron was chosen 
for the higher office of the priesthood. These two points you 
will see by looking to the third chapter of the book of Num- 
bers, and the fortieth chapter of the book of Exodus. In the 
former, you will find it thus said: — 'The Lord spake unto 
Moses, saying, Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them 
before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto him, to do 
the service of the Tabernacle.' In the latter it is said, — ' Thou 
shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and 
sanctify him, that he may minister unto me in the priest's office; 
and thou shalt bring his sons, and thou shalt anoint them, that 
they may minister unto Me in the priest's office ; for their 
anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood, throughout 
their generations.' What the service of the Tabernacle was, 
and what the priests and Levites were to do, how they were to 
be consecrated and set apart, what was required in iherr, to fit 
them for their office — all this you will see commanded and ex*- 
plained, with the utmost nicety and care, all through the books 



794 



MDflSTEES' WEEK. 



of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers; more particularly, I should 
like to refer you to the 8th chapter of Leviticus, and the 3rd 
and 1 8th chapters of Numbers. 

And not only were these things commanded and set forth as 
ordinary precepts, but so jealous was God that no interference 
should take place in this His own arrangement of His holy 
ministers, and that no interruption should ever break through 
the succession of the family thus appointed, that you find, on 
many occasions, the punishment of death inflicted on those 
who presumed to usurp the holy office. For instance, Korah 
and his company rebelled against this appointment, and would 
have thrust themselves into the priest's office, — ' They gathered, 
themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said, 
Ye take too much upon you. seeing all the congregation are 
holy every one of them, and the Lord is among them; where- 
fore, then, lift ye up youi selves above the congregation of the 
Lord?' (Numb, xvi.) But what was the result? When 
they came with their unauthorized censers to make their offer- 
ings as priests, the earth opened, and swallowed them up alive; 
and they perished from among the congregation. 

From all this, you will get some insight into the meaning of 
S. Paul's words, — 'No man taketh this honour unto himself,, 
but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.' You observe, 
there are two points in that passage which are very important. 
No man is to be a minister of God, unless he be 'called of 
God.' It is God Who must call him. He must be a minister 
by divine appointment ; and. lest a man should by any possi- 
bility, say, — This calling of God may be a spiritual and inter- 
nal call, and so any o-e feeling w T ithin him elf a desire, or a 
movement of the SPfRtT within his own breast, will have suffi- 
cient authority to become God's priest, — lest any one should 
say thus, it is added, ' as was Aaron* The calling of God 
must be as ivas Aaron s call, that is. by order, God's own ex- 
press external order, as well as internal. Aaron was appointed, 
as I just showed you, with ceremonies and external sanctifica- 
tions. A fnmily or a class was set apart. It was not left to the 
individual emotions of those who might, of their own pleasure, 
undertake the office, but it was determined by God beforehand. 
No man was to take the office upon himself. Some one who 
had a right to do so was to commission or appoint him, by the 
external communication of the call of God. 

So much, then, for the Old Testament. I could add many 



MINISTERS WEEK. 



795 



other things in corroboration of this, —such as the case of Uzzah, 
in the sixth chapter of the second book of Samuel, (2 Sam. vi. 
6) and the case of Saul, in the first book of Samuel; (1 Sam. 
xiii 9) the case of Uzziah. in the second book of Chronicles, (2 
xxvi, 18) and the case of Jeroboam, with his strange altar and 
his 'priests of the lowest of the people.' in the first book of 
Kings, (1 Kings xiii. 1) — but you can examine into these in- 
stances yourselves, and having done so, reflect a little on 
the danger and presumption of tho^e who, without authority, 
presume to meddle with the priest's office. Reflect a little, 
whether the appointment of a holy order of men to minister in 
the things of religion, is not a circumstance of very great 
moment and importance in the. inten'ions and councils of God. 

And so let us go forward to the New Testament. It is just 
possible that you might make an exception to what I have now 
been saying, by thinking that these things being appointed by 
Almighty God for the Jews, need not be meant to apply to 
Christians; that our Lord, by His more liberal and more gen- 
eral religion, would cancel these minute and formal regulations 
concerning the priesthood of one particular people. But if I 
-were to agree with you in this thought, still it would not follow 7 
but that there might be the seeds and types in the Jewish lav r 
of those greater and more liberal things which were afterwards 
to come in the Gospel. We know that everything in the Old 
Testament was a foreshadowing of that which was to come in 
the New, and then fere if I should allow you to say, what I 
have supposed you to say above, still there is every reason to 
think, that when we see the mind of the eternal God so veiy 
plainly set forth in His appointment of the Jewish priesthood, 
it would not be very unlikely that the same mmd would con- 
tinue to manifest itself in that perfection and fulfilment of the 
Jewish priesthood, which was brought into the world by our 
blessed Lord Jesus Christ. Remember that our Lord Him- 
self says, that He came into the world not to destroy the law 
and the prophets, but to fulfil them. 

But I am prepared to show you that there is a great deal 
more than this. You will see in the Gospel of our Lord very 
strong marks and directions, by which He desired the holy 
office of the Christian priesthood to be quite as distinctly sepa- 
rated and cut off from the world as that of Aaron, and that He 
was anxious that none should thrust themselves into His Holy 
ministry except they came by His own appointmenv and that 



796 



MINISTERS WEEK. 



He took, all through His life, great precautions, by which His 
holy priesthood might be continued pure and without inter- 
ruption throughout the whole course of time. First, consider 
the way in w T hich He Himself first became a teacher of religion. 
Though Himself God, still, being also man, and taking the 
office of a priest, He did not take it without a commission. 
He received a commission from God the Father, and that an 
external commission, one to which He continually alluded. 
Jesus did not begin to preach until the voice from heaven had 
come, saying, * fhis is my beloved Son in whom I am well 
pleased. 1 Then consider, secondly, how He commissioned 
others. Out of the whole number of disciples, He chose sev- 
enty to go before Him and preach the Kingdom of God. Ob- 
s rve how He sends them forth; you will find the account of 
it in the tenth chapter of S. Luke. How remarkable are His 
words: ' He that heareth you, heareth Me; and he that de- 
spiseth you, despise: h Me; and he that despiseth Me, despise;h 
Hun that sent Me.' Hut not only the seventy; He chose and 
appointed more prominently the twelve. While the se\enty 
were sent formally to preach the Kingdom, the twelve were 
kept as familiar and constant hearers and witnesses of His 
private conversations and miracles, and to be present at His 
sufferings and His deaih. These twelve He marked out by a 
distinct name, calling them Apostles. To these twelve He im- 
puted above others, peculiar gifts. These alone He permitted 
to be present at His solemn institution of the Lord's Supper; 
and to these He gave, at the last moment of His sojourn upon 
earth, thac solemn charge and commission by which He consti- 
tuted them the heads and governors of His Church; ' Go ye 
therefore and teach all nations, bap t' zing them in the name of 
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, teaching 
them to observe all things whatsoever 1 have commanded you, 
and io, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.' 

Such, then, was the case during the life, and just before the 
departure of our Lord. And how do we find the Apostles 
acting after His departure? In precisely the same way, and 
on precisely the same principles; Judas, one of the twelve, had 
gone to his own place, and there were left but eleven Apostles. 
But lest the exact number which our Lord had fixed should be 
incomplete, their first business upon meeting together after His 
departure, was to appoint a successor in the Apostleship who 
might fill the place of Judas. Now observe how this was done. 



ministers' week. 



797 



It was not found that any of the Christian disciples rose up and 
assumed the office at his own discretion. It was not found that 
any one asserted his right according to Ids own pleasure to be- 
come an Apostle in the name of Jesus. It was not found that 
the number of twelve was added to, and that when there were 
two eminent disciples, equally ready and willing to become 
Apostles, namely, Matthias and Joseph surnamed Barsabas, that 
the Apostles thought it of no moment to adhere to the number, 
twelve ; but, quite the contrary, they kept the exact number 
commissioned by Christ, and appointed, under the especial 
direction of God, that one only upon whom the lot devolved; 
thus clearly shewing, in this transaction, three very important 
principles: — first, a minute attention to what we might call 
trifling matters, in adhering so strictly to the number ot twelve; 
and secondly, a reference to God in the appointment of His 
ministers; and thirdly, in addition to their reference to God, 
their own human, ecclesiastical, or external appointment, by 
choosing two, one of whom was to be marked out and shown 
by God, in answer to their prayers. "Of these men, which 
have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went 
in and out among us, must one be Ordained': and then they 
prayed and said, — Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of all 
men, shew whether of these tw T o thou hast chosen. 

Thus, then, we see the principle of selecting and setting 
apart the ministers of God's service, as far as regards the Apos- 
tleship. And when the Church grew on, and the numbers be- 
came too great for the personal attendance of the twelve, then 
we read ot others being added, by the name of deacons; not for 
the higher offices of the priesthood, but for the help and main- 
tenance of the Church in the lower portions of her service, as 
you will find detailed in the sixth chapter of the Acts of the 
Apostles. But in these deacons you will see the same principle 
of appointment as before in the case of Matthias. The dea- 
cons did not choose themselves : they did not say, — ' We see the 
Church is in need of aid; we think ourselves fit and proper 
persons to give her the aid which she requires; we will appoint 
ourselves to be additional ministers of God.' No; but the 
Apostles on their part originated the affair. They said, — 1 1 .ook 
ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy 
Ghost and of wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.' 
And when this was done, they set the seven men before the 
Apostles, and when they had prayed, 1 they laid their Iiands on 



MTNTSTEES WEES, 



them' So that you see the whole transaction was under the 
management of the Apostles. It was their appointment, their 
prayers, and their laying on of hands; the laity * looking out the 
seven men of honest report,' and submit ingthemto the Church 
for ordination. Above ail. observe that the deacons themselns 
had nothing whatever to do in the question; they did not feel 
f.ny internal, or secret, or private impulse, which rendered 
them fit for the ministry, or justified them in assuming it. 
They were passive until God called them, as He did Aaron, 
and working through the external ordinance of His Church, 
piib-i iV set them apart. Now from this, you may learn 
how contrary to Scripture and the will of God it is, at least in 
my opin ; on for the laity to take upon themselves the anomal- 
ous dut.es of lay-readers, Scripture-readers, district-missionaries, 
and the like, because there is an assumption of an office — with 
a pui posed abandonment of that which was inseparable in the 
consecration of the office in the Apostolic times; namely, epis- 
copal laying on of hands. It is true, help in the Church is 
wanted ; it is true, the present ministers of God are not suf- 
ficient; but so it was in the time of the Apostles. What they 
did then ought to be our guide now in similar difficulties. It is 
true also, that those anomalous teachers may do some good; 
but it is probable that the little good will be accomplished .with 
a great dea of evil— evil to the Church, in lowering the office 
of the teacher - evil to the poor, in the probability oi inefficient 
teaching, perhaps sometimes false-teaching, because r here is no 
security by any discipline of canonical authority — evil to the 
regularly ordained priesthood, in finding interruptions and in- 
trusion . in their pastoral labors, or at any rate, uncongenial 
he pers - evil to themselves, in the probability of raising in their 
minds spiritual pride and jealousy of the regularly ordained who 
are set over them, but not in the Lord. 

Now all the good could be achieved in additional help for the 
service of the Church, without these dangers of the simple princi- 
ple of layingon of hands. These men should be made deacons, 
and then there would be an end of the whole question. For 
the sake of the Church then, and her ultimate blessing, do not 
give any h-lp to unordained teachers in the Catholic Church of 
youi faith; lor the appearance and show of some little present 
advantage, do not forego a great principle. For the sake of 
following in a popular movement, which I venture to prophecy 
wiL die away if it is no. already dying away) in a few years, do 



MT^ISTZES' WEEK, 



799 



not give up the ultimate advancement and propagation of the 
faith, by those means only, which the spirit and essence of 
the Holy Scriptures point out, and the Church has invariably 
followed up to this day. But let us go on still further. We 
read of S. Barnabas as being called an Apostie. and of S. Paul, 
especially and miraculously appointed by our Lord Himself. 
But of both these, in agreement with all that had gone before, 
and especially of S. Paul (though called to be an Apostle as one 
born out of due time), — still we read of this very wonderful 
man, that, when in company with other-, (in the thirteenth 
chapter of the Acts), he was chosen to go to the Gentiles, he 
did rot go of himself or unauthorized, but the Church was his 
authority, and by the Church he was commissioned. ' When 
they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on the?n, they 
sent them away.' And then immediately after, it is added — as 
though their being thus sent, and, as it were, ecclesiastically 
commissioned, were the same thing as being sent by the Holy 
Ghost; or rather, that the Holy GHOSt sanctioned and moved 
the whole transaction, — So they being sent forth by the Holy 
Ghost, departed unto Selencia.' Surely this is very remarka- 
ble. But even if this were not so, still the case of S. Paul is 
not a case for any ordinary purpose. Called of God miracul- 
ously, he could not be brought forward as an authority for any 
appointment of the ministry of the present day Even without 
this case, we have the seventy disciples, we have the twelve 
Apostles, and we have ihe seven deacons, all specifically ap- 
pointed in one only manner, according to the command of 
Christ. 

But the time was to come when the Apostles and the Deacons 
were to depart from this visible Church, even as our Lord 
Himself had departed before them. How. (hen, was the suc- 
cession of the ministry to be kept up ? Was the Church to 
cease with their lives, or was it to continue? And if it were to 
continue, was it to continue without an Apostleship. or minis- 
try ? Watch the expression in which our Lord gave His first 
charge. See what a promise there was in it. 4 Lo I am with 
you alway, even tin to the end of the world' But, how until the 
end of the world, if the Apostles were to die, and cease with 
their own lives as governors of the Church? It could only be 
in the sense of their perpetual succes-ion; and thus we find it 
was. The Apostles, wherever they went founded Churches; in 
those Churches they appointed presbyters or elders ; some of 



800 



ministers' week. 



these presbyters or elders, they appointed to preside over the 
others as overseers; these overseers were called bishops, and those 
bishops had power committed them to ordain other elders or 
bishops to succeed them in their several dioceses ; and. so it was 
contrived that there was a succession of ministers which should 
never terminate. Look at the fourteenth chapter of the Acts, 
and you will find S. Paul and S. Barnabas doing this—' When 
they had ordained them elders in every Church.' Look at S. 
Timothy, appointed and ordained by S. Paul, Bishop of Ephesus, 
and S. Paul telling him in his first Epistle, 1 Neglect not the 
gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy with the 
laying-on of hands of the presbytery.* Look at Titus, ap- 
pointed in the same manner Bishop of Crete; and it is remark- 
able that, in S. Paul's letter to him, it is mentioned that he was 
so appointed for the purpose of continuing an Apostolic succes- 
sion of ministers in that Church; 4 For this cause left I thee in 
Crete, that thou shouldst set in order the things that are wanting, 
and ordain elders in every city, as I have appointed thee.' And 
in one of his epistles to Tim* thy, this ordaining of elders is 
mentioned as going on, not only in his own case, but from 
generation to generation, just fulfilling the words of our Lord ; 
* Lo, I am with you always; for thus he writes: 4 The things 
that thou hast heard of me, the same commit thou to faithful 
men, who shall be able to teach others also' 

Here we see, then, the Apostolic commission in full action, 
and the promise of Christ, ' As my Father hath sent Me, so 
send I you,' carried into effect. How had the Father sent 
Christ? To appoint a Church, form its government, and or- 
dain its teachers. How, then, were the Apostles sent ? In the 
same proportion, and to carry on, under Him, as the great head, 
the very same offices. How wonderful all this is. How it stirs 
up our hearts and affections in love of our God, who has thus 
provided all things so mercifully for His Church. When you 
reflect that, from the time of those very Apostles down to our 
own days, the clergy who minister at our altars have been regu- 
larly succeeding one another, and when you can trace along the 
line, as by a ladder, step by step, every bishop from the time of 
the Apostles, is it not a beautiful subject for our meditation ? 
Is it not a fruitful source for joy and admiration ? Who, in- 
deed, would presume to thrust himself in here? Who would 
presume to touch this holy ark of the living God ? If you 
see some great King wielding the throne of a mighty em- 



ministers' week. 



801 



pire, you ask, on what ground or authority it is that he sits 
there, and has this power. When you are told that he can trace 
his title of emperor from himself to his father, and from his 
father to his grandfather, and from his grandfather back, and 
back, until its source is detected in the well known founder of 
his family, you wonder, you reverence, and you obey. You 
would not thrust in your hand, and say, — T have as much a right 
to be King as you; you take too much upon you in placing 
yourself above others : I can see that many men are more clever, 
and of greater experience, and wiser than you : and many men 
could govern better than you, and do more good to their coun- 
try, and bring greater prosperity to the people ; give place, 
therefore, and let us share your empire among others, that are 
superior, or, at any rate, equal to yourself,' — No. You would 
not say anything so wicked, or so absurd. And on what prin- 
ciple ? On that of the unbroken, hereditary succession which 
this great king could show you in the pages of history. Well, 
then, why should men think themselves clever enough, wise 
enough, or good enough, to thrust themselves in among the 
ministers of God, and say, we have as much right to teach, to 
baptize, or to pray in the public services of God, as you have ? 
If those who did this wicked thing were to ask themselves the 
question, A m I called of God as zuas Aaron ? they surely would 
not presume to take this honor unto themselves. I sincerely 
wish they would honestly examine their title on this principle; 
for it seems to me that man} 7 would forsake that presumptuous 
way in which they now indulge, in setting themselves up by 
their own authority to be preachers of the Gospel, and admin- 
istrators of Christ's holy sacraments. If they would only look 
to their pedigree, and see if they could trace it back to Christ, 
it appears to me that they would forsake their evil and schis- 
matic ways; because I think that many of them indulge their 
schism not from any badness of intention, but from ignorance 
and zeal without knowledge. Take, for instance, a Wesleyan 
teacher; trace his pedigree. Who gave this Wesleyan teacher 
authority to preach ? Perhaps Adam Clarke. But who gave 
Adam Clarke authority to do this? Wesley, a priest of the 
'Church of England, but not being a bishop, he had not any 
authority whatever to ordain; therefore, his pedigree stops at 
Wesley. The authority of the Wesleyan teacher terminates, 
therefore, some sixty or seventy years back, and is good for 
nothing. The same with a Presbyterian. Who gave the Pres- 



802 



MINISTERS WEEK. 



byterian teacher authority to preach the Gospel ? Another 
presbyter like himself. And who gave that presbyter authority 
to do so? Another presbyter like unto himself; and so going 
back, you come to Calvin, who lived about three hundred years 
ago, and there you stop; for no one gave Calvin authority to 
ordain; — Calvin assumed it. The authority, then, of a Pres- 
byterian teacher stops at three hundred years, and is good for 
nothing. Such a thing as a presbyter ordaining a presbyter was 
never heard of in the Church of Christ for sixteen hundred 
years. 

And so you might go on with all the various sects of dissent. 
You will find the pedigree of their teachers a mere nothing, 
three hundred years being the very oldest to which they can 
pretend ; whereas the Catholic clergy, — those who minister at 
the altars of the Church of England, those who have baptized 
you, and preach to you the holy truths of Christ's Gospel, — 
can trace their pedigree (as I call it) up to Christ Himself ; 
they can go from bishop to bishop, until they come to the Apos- 
tles, and from the Apostles they go to the very and act- 
ual Saviour of the world, Christ Jesus the Son of 
God. Oh, is not this a comfort and a blessing to you? Have 
you not reason to thank God that you are not a dissenter ? Is it 
not a great privilege that you have been so born and educated 
as to have ministering priests about you, who can rejoice in such 
a glorious and ancient line of ancestry, as actually to shew you 
that it comes from Christ Himself ? Their title of claim to 
your reverence and love is not the matter of a day. It is as old 
as the very Gospel itself. W. J. E. B. 

Sneer at the Apostolic succession as men will. Suggest the 
possibility of exclusiveness, as they do. This is nevertheless the 
point. A gold water-pipe may be better looking than one of 
rusty iron, or tarred wood; but the value is not in the material 
but in the connection. If it taps the spring at one end, and 
empties into the reservoir at the other end, that is all men want, 
and the question about the ministry is its succession, its connec- 
tion, its authority. W. C. D. 

MINISTERIAL GARMENTS. 

Some people object to the Episcopal Church because her min- 
isters wear robes, but nothing could be more unreasonable. 



ministers' week. 



803 



One use of clerical robes is founded upon the custom which has 
prevailed from the earliest periods of which we have any ac- 
count,, of distinguishing between the various offices of men by 
the difference in their garments. Over the whole world, sndin 
every age, a difference of costume has marked a difference of of- 
fice. In our own country we have many illustrations in point. 
The judges of the Supreme Court of the United States wear a 
black gown while upon the bench. Our army and navy adhere 
to a professional dress when on duty. Our public societies and 
orders are distinguished by scarfs, or badges, or regalia, which 
are designed to indicate the membership or offices of individuals. 
All this is reasonable and proper, and naturally suggests itself 
to the mind. And is it not equally reasonable, and equally 
proper, that the minister of God should be clothed in a manner 
appropriate to his office, while he is engaged in its solemn du- 
ties? When objection is made to our Church on this ground, 
may we not fairly reply that, to be consistent, the objector must 
insist upon the officer's laying aside his uniform, he must oppose 
the badges and regalia of the different orders and societies, and 
when he has abolished all these, we shall be prepared to allow 
his objection some weight, but not until then. 

But we have higher authority for this custom than its reason- 
ableness ; we plead for it the sanction of Saipture. Upon the 
only occasion where it has pleased the Almighty to regulate the 
minute details of earthly worship. He gave express directions 
for the garments in which His ministers were to be cloihed. 
The ordinary priests under the Jewish dispensation, when per- 
forming service, were to wear a white linen ephod. Our argu- 
ment is this: If there were anything improper in the minister of 
God wearing these garments, would the Lord have given it 
His sanction ? Clearly not. 

Again. If God commanded and prescribed these garments 
in one age of His Church, and if the reasons for their use were 
not peculiar to that dispensation, is it not natural to infer that 
they are highly proper now ? 

The history of the Primitive Church is clear in its testimony 
to the prevalence of this custom, and we have evidence that for 
at least fifteen hundred years the surplice has been the dress of 
the minister in the performance of public worship. 

John Wesley, George Whitfield, and the other great divines 
of the past, wore gowns when they preached. 



804 



ministers' week.. 



Hear Adam Clarke, the great Methodist commentator, speak- 
ing on Exodus, 28; 2. 

' The white surplice in the service of the Church is almost the 
only thing that remains of those ancient and becoming vest- 
ments which God commanded to be made ion glory and beauty. 
Clothing as emblematical of office, is of more consequence than 
is generally imagined.' 

Chalmers, the great Presbyterian, commenting on the same 
passage, says: ' There is here a distinct saction given to trie 
association of outward splendor, with the office of the ministry 
— if not such as to make it imperative and indispensable, at least 
as to condemn the intolerance of those who stand opposed to it. 
In the antipathy to priestly garments, and in the controversies 
which have been raised about them, I can take no share.' 

Such is the candid testimony of this great man, recorded in 
the calm moments of his communing with God. 

Thus, with reason, Scripture, the custom of the Primitive 
Church, in favor of the use of clerical garments, we submit that 
we are right in adhering to them, and that the objection against 
them falls to the ground. 

S. B. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




0 006 994 997 6 § 



